


Yuuri the Russian Slayer

by EllaAwkward



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Dark fic, Evil! Viktor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:53:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9805487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaAwkward/pseuds/EllaAwkward
Summary: Vampires have taken over the world and Yuuri Katsuki is one of the few survivors remaining. What will happen when our gangly, awkward hero encounters one of the most powerful vampires in existence? (Victuuri).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Bear with me, I'm not used to using this website xD. Thanks for reading and enjoy :)

_Oh God, what am I doing?_ -I ask to myself as I foolishly risk my life. It was midnight, which meant that it was prime time for the vampires to be lurking about. I can’t believe that only two months ago the world had been taken over by those blood suckers. They had taken the entire world by surprise, enslaving those humans who they were able to catch and continually feed on like livestock.

My group of friends and I had survived the initial takeover, but everyday we live in fear that one of us will get caught and give our location away. Shelter wasn’t a problem. As long we had a home to call our own, the vampires couldn’t enter without an invitation. Of course, they could always set buildings on fire to stake us out. Typically, however, vampires preferred to engage with their prey in a live chase. It wasn’t fun for them to simply poke and tease out us livestock. Oh no, they adored to play with us.

Other protections that we humans could use at our disposal included barred windows, as vampires also had the power of mind control, wooden stakes, and any charms, necklets or bracelets that were made from silver. A stake to the heart would effectively kill a vampire, while the touch of anything silver would burn their skin, similar to that of the sun.

I’m afraid that the myth of garlic had led to the deaths of many humans during the first couple weeks of the takeover. Garlic actually alerted the vampires of your presence, quite the contrary of the belief that it would ward them off.

Now I suppose that you must be wondering: Why am I walking out in the open, where the vampires can grab me so easily? The answer is simple. I had a group of people counting on me to feed them. Oddly enough, it was safest for me to go out at the time when most, if not all, vampires were out.

They would all be hunting right now, so surely they wouldn’t be looking for a human in grocery store, now would they? Besides, while the vampires slept during the day, they had werewolves, their loyal guard dogs, patrol the cities. We humans had yet to figure out what exactly weakened and/or killed a werewolf. It was therefore a safer bet to risk an encounter with a vampire over that of a werewolf.

 Either way, I didn’t have to walk too far to get where I needed. I lived with my friends at our old University dorm building, and it just so happened that there was a grocery store nearby. Tragically, I had been the unlucky one to draw the short end of the stick. Our group had a long-standing rule that only one person was allowed to leave our hideout at a time. We were a small enough group as it was, and it was imperative that we maintained our strength in numbers.

Our food supply was running out fast, and I could only hope that there was still enough food remaining in the grocery store. Whenever I went out, I rarely encountered another human being. Most of us were either dead, enslaved, or forced underground by the misfortune of being turned into a vampire.

I shuddered at the thought. I’d rather die than be forced to give up my humanity and hurt those close to me. I’ve heard stories; before the internet had gone down for good. The blood of a vampire changed good people, it reversed their personalities, made them into someone completely different. Those unfortunate enough to go through the change turned on their families, slaughtering and consuming them without a second thought. Vampires were monsters, and although us humans weren’t exactly the top of the moral pinnacle, we still had our values. I couldn’t say the same for those demons.

I nervously shuffled and readjusted the empty duffle bag over my shoulder. My combat boots unevenly clacked against the pavement, the shallowness of my breath matching the tune of my skipping heart. I was careful not to make too much noise, however. Vampires had a heightened sense of hearing; I would have to remain calm if I didn’t want them to pick up on my hammering heartbeat.

The grocery store wasn’t too far away now. So far, so good. I hadn’t encountered any vampires yet. I kept my head bowed down out of fear, so much so that I had to keep pushing up the pair of glasses on the bridge of my nose. With my free hand, I fingered the pendant of my silver cross necklace. I muttered a prayer to a God that I no longer believed existed.

Eventually, I found myself standing in front of the broken entrance of the grocery store. The front windows were cracked, the direct result of the panic and anarchy that had followed after the initial stages of the takeover. Now, there were hardly any humans left to compete with what little food remained in the store.

I peered inside, squinting my eyes. I then reached into my black camo pants, pulling out a flashlight. I danced the flashlight around the entrance of the store, feeling satisfied when I didn’t spot anything out of the usual. I walked inside, wincing when the soles of my boots crushed already shattered fragments of glass.

The store was a complete mess, looking as if a giant hand had knocked over the aisles in a silly game of dominos. The stench or sour meat filled the empty chasm of the room, prompting me to wrap a black bandana around my mouth. My eyes watered indefinitely as I began to rummage through the aisles, plucking off every non-perishable food item in sight.

The duffle bag was a lot heavier now, my shoulders sagging down to testify to that woeful sentiment. I would have to leave room for some medicine anyways. I turned on my heels, forcing myself past the meat and dairy section without letting out a breath.

I followed the path of my flashlight with a paralyzing amount of fear. I couldn’t help but suspect that I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up in apprehension, an uncomfortable feeling churning in my gut. I still nonetheless forced myself to maintain at least some composure, taking a deep breath.

Perspiration dripped down my face as I made my way into the medicine aisle. I grabbed whatever looked convenient and useful. The moonlight pouring into the store made it much easier for me to see, thankfully. Said lighting came back to haunt me when I turned around, spotting a pair of leering green eyes.

I immediately knew that I was staring right back at a vampire. The Thing’s eyes gleamed in the dark, just like that of a cat’s. He must have been quite young when he was turned; slender, short, and a rounded face. The Thing had a bob of lemon-yellow hair, half of which that fell into the left side of his face. He was wearing ripped jeans and a black hoodie, but I didn’t let his casual appearance fool me in the slightest. The scowl on his face and sharpness of his eyes indicated to me that he was far older than what he looked.

The Thing cocked his head to the side, a nonchalant grin creeping onto his face. This was a game to him; I was nothing more than a bug for him to squash under the sole of his boot. Even though I was taller than him, I felt myself shrinking under the intensity of his glare. With wobbly feet, I stumbled backwards, attempting, but failing miserably to grab at the silver knife that I had hidden away in my front jean pocket.

“S-stay away!” I cried out, the bandana around my mouth slipping down to hug my collar bone.

The Thing laughed, taking a step forward. “What’s this? The livestock wants to fight back against the big bad wolf? How amusing,” he leered.

The Thing moved forward in a blur impossibly quick for my eye to catch. “Go on then,” he growled. “Fight back!”

I cried out when he forcibly grabbed onto my wrist, slamming my back into a nearby shelf. The cans in the duffle bag painfully pressed into my shoulder blades. I could feel my wrist snapping under the pressure of his grip. I struggled to free myself, writhing. Hot tears poured down my face as I begged and pleaded useless words of nothing. I had failed my friends…I was going to die.

The Thing let go of my wrist in disgust, instead choosing to press his forearm against my throat, crushing my windpipe. “And here I thought that I would finally have something interesting to prey on. Ugh, not that I really cared anyways. Blood is blood; I’ll take whatever I can get, no matter how much your cowardess disgusts me. What ever happened to the pride of you humans? You used to be so arrogant. I miss that…”

“Oh well…” the Thing simpered. “I suppose that I’ll stoop down to your level and be selfish. I won’t be gentle with you. You see, I like to hear my prey beg for mercy. Nothing gives me the ultimate high like hearing the human beg for the life that they naively believe they are entitled to. Vampires run the world now; it’s about time that you humans succumbed to this natural cycle and accept your extinction. It’s time to evolve. The weak, like you, will be all be killed off and enslaved soon enough.”

“I’m not the one who’s weak,” I wheezed, making sure to avoiding looking directly into his eyes. “It is you who rely on us humans to satisfy _your_ selfish hunger. You are not entitled to my blood. You are not entitled to this world. You vampires are a disgrace that we humans _will_ wipe out!”

The Thing’s face contorted with rage. “You’ll pay for saying that!” he snapped. “You dare speak to me as if you hold the power in this situation? Ha! I’ll teach you what happens to those who disobey the laws of the NightTable.”

The Thing hissed as he opened his mouth, sharp fangs protruding from his gums. “Any last words?” he mused.

“Bite me,” I scoffed.

“Real clever,” the Thing smirked. “You really showed me, pig. Now I must go home and cry to my master!” 

The Thing bent over, using one hand to tilt up my chin. My neck was now fully exposed. The palms of his hand were cold; I was frozen to his touch.

“Let’s see how much pain your sarcasm inflicts onto you,” the Thing whispered to himself. “Shall I bite right into the artery? No, no. That will just ruin my clothes. Hmmmm…What to do, what to do…”

I closed my eyes, swallowing with a heavy heart. This was where I would die. I would never get to see my friends, no, my family again. My life would be robbed from me; I wouldn’t know what it would feel like to grow up, to live without fear, to smile again. All of those rightful luxuries were taken away the moment that the vampires took over.

I could feel the Thing’s breath on my neck. He was teasing out every last ounce of fear from me, and I was unwillingly letting him.

And then, the force on my neck disappeared. Wind blew in my ears as I opened my eyes, spotting another, much taller vampire pull back the shorter vampire from before. This new vampire was older, physically, with ear-length grey hair that was parted in the middle of his face and leering blue eyes.

Unlike his counter-part, he looked angelic for something that was capable of such monstrous destruction. His skin was pale, even for a vampire, gleaming in the moonlight to give him a false halo of innocence. He too was wearing casual attire, consisting of a black blouse and simple denim jeans. Even so, he carried off an aura of the supernatural. He was dangerous and he flouted his charisma about with what most humans would mistake to be a charming smile.

“Kitten,” the older vampire purred. “I thought I told you that this one was _mine?”_

I simply stood there, backed into a corner against the medicine shelf.

“Tough shit, asshole,” the younger vampire hissed. “I got to him first.”

An intense stare down unfolded between the two vampires. The young vampire faltered under the deadly expression of his counterpart.

The older vampire tsked under his breath. “You will do well to remember that _I_ am _your_ master. Now move, I haven’t fed in a long time. I do not care to be provoked when I am hungry.”

“He’s mine!” the younger hissed, his shoulders hunching in anger. He looked ready to pounce on the older one.

SLAM!

The younger vampire went flying halfway across the aisle as his _master_ picked him up by the collar of the shirt, effortlessly flinging him into the air as if it were child’s play. He crumpled against an adjacent shelf, bottles of medicine falling all around him.

“Stay,” the older vampire leered, his voice mixed with the persuasive tone of glamour magic.

The younger vampire struggled, growling all the while, but due to the blood bond between him and his master, his head was forced down into a reluctant bow.

“Good boy,” the older vampire mused.

“Now,” the older vampire turned his gaze onto me. “For the dazzling finale~! Tell me human, what’s your name? After I’m done here, I’ll be sure to mark your grave…with your blood of course!”

It sure was odd to have my life threatened in such a cheerful manner. The smile on his face was wide enough to match that of the Cheshire cat. I dropped my duffle bag, ripping off my cross necklace to hold it up to the air. The reaction I received from the older vampire was not the one that I had been expecting.

The older vampire laughed. “Do you really think that you can harm me with that? My, my, the ignorance of you humans never fails to amuse me. Why would the token of a God that I don’t believe in affect me? Such foolish logic!”

I dropped the cross, feeling my knees turn to jelly.

“That’s right,” the older Vampire cooed. “Accept and wallow in your defeat.”

I let out a dry sob.

“Look at me, child.”

My head snapped upwards to meet the gaze of the older vampire. It was then that I knew that I was a goner. Once I looked into his eyes, I would forever be his to command. Death was now my only viable option.

I reached into my pocket, intending to pull out the only weapon that I had left. I wouldn’t let him kill me. I would do it myself. I pulled out the silver knife, only to have it ripped out of my hand by an invisible force. This vampire must have been strong if he had the power of telekinesis. Only the oldest of vampires possessed such a rare ability.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! We can’t have you committing suicide on me, now can we? That would be no fun!” the older vampire pouted.

“Tell you what. I’m bored, and since I’m so gracious, I’ll give you one last chance to escape from me,” the older vampire rolled his hand about in a grand gesture as he talked.

“I’ve always liked a challenge. It’s so inspiring, da?”

I remained silent.

“Run, little pig. Your life depends on it.”

My feet moved on their own accord as I span around, sprinting out of the grocery store. Forget the food and medical supplies, I had my own life to worry about.

…

I blindly sprinted through the streets, panting and hacking up a storm. I couldn’t lead those vampires back to the University. I refused to put my family in jeopardy. No, I’d just have to find somewhere else to stay for the night. A simple house wouldn’t do. If I didn’t own the house, nothing would stop the vampires from entering. I needed to find a place that was public, one that any person could claim for their own.

I had no choice but to risk going home in the daylight the next day, that is if I managed to survive the night. The werewolves weren’t as fast as the vampires. If I was lucky, I could probably outrun them if I needed to.

Ironically enough, I stumbled across a church, the tall building looming over me. I tripped up the stone stairs of the entrance, pushing open the wooden doors. I fell to my knees, catching my breath. The room was dark and cold, unwelcoming and useless in comforting me. The only thing to light the room was the moonlight pouring in through the colour-stained glass windows.

When I had recovered from my fatigue, I walked over to the center aisle, rolling up the carpet. As expected, there was a secret cubby hidden underneath the wooden floor boards. I pulled out a sharpened stake, and several silver knives. My relief over this discovery didn’t last very long, unfortunately.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The wooden doors of the church shuddered as _something_ pounded their fists against it.

“Little pig! Little pig! Let me in!” the voice of the older vampire called out.

I cursed under my breath, only to freeze when an unfamiliar fog fell over my eyes.

“Come to me…”

I stood up against my will, walking over to the church’s entrance in ridged, forced steps. I bit my lip, screaming in the hopes of stopping myself, but alas, nothing could be done. I was under the vampire’s control; there wasn’t anything that I could do to free myself from him.

“Drop your weapons…”

The stake that I had clasped in my hand fell to the ground.

With tears streaming down my face and cold blood running through my veins, I opened the front doors of the church. The older vampire grinned down at me, reaching out to touch the invisible barrier that separated us from each other.

“Invite me in…”

_Viktor Nikiforov_ …a voice in my head spoke.

Much to my horror, my mouth opened, words that I despised saying forcefully escaping from my lips. “I, Yuuri Katsuki, invite and welcome you, Viktor Nikiforov into this church.”

Viktor grinned, and it wasn’t long before he had me pinned against the ground. His grey hair fell into his face as he licked his lips, shifting his position so that he was full on straddling me.

“The amount of hatred that you hold in your eyes is very much enticing to me. I shall make you my own. I will force you to admire me if I have to.”

“Go to hell,” I spat, glaring right into his glowing blue eyes.

Viktor opened his mouth, growing out his fangs for the purposes of intimidating me. “Silly human. I am already in hell. But soon you shall join me in my eternal misery.”

Viktor tilted my chin to the side, his cool fingers contrastingly burning into my skin. He bent down and bit into my neck, the tension becoming unbearable.

I gasped out in pain.

“Shhhh,” Viktor mumbled into my skin. I felt something wet lap against the puncture wounds in my neck. “This should make everything go much…smoother,” he purred.

I revolted when my face flushed with the warmth of pleasure. Suddenly pain was replaced with inexplicable amounts of ecstasy. I grit my teeth, holding back a moan that rattled through my entire body. Everything felt hot and right, and yet everything was wrong. I didn’t want this thing to make me feel like this. I hated him. I hated him for making me feel so unbelievably _good._

Viktor moaned himself, running his tongue across my jawline. “Mmmmm,” he hummed. “There is still much hatred in your eyes. I must do something more…to please you…to make you mine…”

I moaned when Viktor bit into my neck again, rubbing himself against my waistline. The friction was stifling, amazing…forbidden…and yet I still wanted more. I bucked up my waist to meet his, biting my lip until blood spilled down my chin; I was just that furious with myself. What I was doing was unacceptable. I was giving in to this monster and enjoying it.

Viktor pulled away from my neck, blood smeared all across the pale skin of the lower half of his face. He then bit down into his own wrist, holding it up to my mouth for me to drink. I turned my head to the side.

“I won’t,” I refused.

Viktor sighed. “Have it your way then. I was hoping to make this as easy for you as possible…”

Viktor placed his wrist up to my mouth, forcing my lips open with two slender fingers. I choked as his warm blood streamed down my throat. My body, without any warning went stiff. The blood was sweet, like nothing that I had ever tasted before. I need more. I craved it even as the very liquid was filling my veins with its ungodly strength.

I reached out, greedily grabbing onto his wrist. I looked up at him while I drank, burning him with a glare of pure and unequivocal hatred.

“Screw…y-you,” I gasped as I continued to devour his blood without much a choice over the matter.

Viktor smiled, using his free hand to press an index finger against my temple. “Hush, my pet,” he cooed. “It’s time for you to go to sleep.”

My limbs fell dead at my sides. I could feel my eyes closing, the last few moments of my life being spent with a despicable demon like him. Viktor’s smug expression was the last thing that I saw before I died, my vision slipping into an empty void of darkness.

…

I stirred into consciousness, wincing as a sharp ringing filled my ears. My body twitched, my eyelids fluttering as I tried to gain my bearings. I then opened my eyes, immediately closing them when I was assaulted with a strange blurriness that stung.

I opened my eyes again, blinking, but not registering my surroundings. The last thing that I remembered was that I was in a church…That’s right. I had both feeded and been fed on against my will. I grit my teeth in anger, sitting up, only to sway from the dizziness and unexpected quickness of this action.

With a frustrated grunt, I ripped off my glasses. I cried out at the brightness of the colours around me. The wood of the chapel benches gleamed, the moonlight bouncing off them, effectively blinding my sight. I stood up out of fright, moving at an impossible speed.

A cackle erupted behind me. I turned, my lips trembling with horror as I spotted Viktor standing before the center pedestal, his arms held open as if to embrace the empty air. The moonlight shone on his face, his eyes mad with euphoria.

“Welcome,” he boomed with glee. “To the life of the dead!”

_No…_

_No…_

_ NO! _

I stepped back, clumsily speeding into a bench behind me. The wood split in half from the sheer force of my agility.

My head fell into my knees, my throat aching with loud, shuddering sobs. I screamed, feeling a thirst so ravaging and maddening that I couldn’t hope to control myself. I had lost all control…

No, I had lost my humanity.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ahhhhh! The fandom has spoken: this is no longer a one-shot.   
> Have a great day/ night.   
> -Ella

_No…_

_This can’t be happening…_

A sharp pain broke through the palm of my hand as the wood of the now broken chapel bench pierced through it. I gasped, choking for air, but the dryness and aching in my throat had yet to cease. I pulled up my hand, watching in both amazement and horror as the wound healed itself within seconds. I then looked up to Viktor, fury seeping through my veins when I saw that he was laughing at me. In fact, he was laughing so hard that small drops of blood were pooling at the corners of his eyes.

I stood up again, gritting my teeth because of the uncharacteristic quickness of the movement. “What did you do to me?!” I roared, wincing when my voice echoed painfully; it was loud. My ears were a lot more sensitive than before.

Viktor smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “Last time I checked, we both drank from each other. It was _very_ steamy and hot. You woke up, probably noticing that your hearing, and sight…” Viktor paused to look down at the pair of glasses that I had discarded away on the carpeted floor.

I glared at him in distaste. His sadistic type of jolliness was _really_ beginning to get on my nerves

“…Were better,” Viktor continued. “That’s what a vampire’s blood does. It compensates for the physical weaknesses of you humans. You should also be a lot stronger and faster than before~!”

Viktor placed a finger against his lips, humming in delight. “Oh, and you’re not actually a vampire by the way. You should have seen your stupid piggie face! Aha~! So naïve and gullible! It’s hard to come across someone this pure these days.”

I let out an incoherent grunt when a new wave of thirst and longing rocked through my body. I involuntarily licked my lips, the sound of Viktor’s pulse drawing me closer to him. I looked at his pale wrist, only to force myself to look away again, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood.

“What am I then?” I croaked. I was feeling too weak to show that thing just how furious I was. It felt as if my entire life force was draining away. The world was brighter, the sounds louder; but it was my mind that was slowly beginning to deteriorate. My sanity was slipping away. It was being replaced with a thirst so raw that it was virtually uncontrollable.

“You’re not quite a vampire yet,” Viktor said with yet another leering smile. “You’re more like a fledgling. You’re neither human nor vampire.”

“In order to survive, you’ll need to drink my blood. If you don’t drink my blood, your body will begin to reverse the change, which is too much for a human immune system to handle. You _will_ die if you don’t drink my blood,” Viktor repeated with much unnecessary emphasis on the whole drinking his blood part. The bastard was clearly getting off on the fact that my survival was entirely dependent on him now.

He could always be lying, but at this point, I didn’t care. I was already walking away from him, intending to use one of the broken pieces of the chapel bench to pierce my heart with. I still had my friends back at the University to protect. It was only a matter of time before this thing forced that information out of me with his mind control powers.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Viktor patronized, still not even bothering to leave his position at the center pedestal. He must have preferred to watch my humiliation from above; the best spot in the entire damn room.

“A stake to the heart won’t kill you! That’s one thing about fledglings that I’ve always been envious about. Unlike real vampires, fledglings can’t be killed by wood. Fledglings have remarkable healing powers. The sun only makes them uncomfortable, and they show no real aversion towards silver. I suppose that their short life span must have something to do with these abilities. A vampire’s blood will only last them so long before their bodies begin to reject the change. You’re damned either way. Don’t drink my blood and die or drink my blood and die later.”

“Or,” Viktor mused, continuing on as I showed no interest in speaking to him. “You choose to become a full vampire and serve under me. I prefer not to control my kin unless I absolutely have to, so you need not worry about me abusing my power. I’d like to say that I’m one of the kinder nobles out there. Besides, it’s not fun for me to control those whom I’m interested in. You were the first human who dared to look me in the eyes. Your hatred for vampires intrigues me, Yuuri Katsuki. I would very much like for you to be mine. It would be such a shame for you to die when you’re this young and beautiful to look at.”

“I’m not becoming a vampire for your amusement,” I spat, kneeling to the ground when the thirst became too much for me to handle. “I’d rather die.”

“Come now,” Viktor chided. “There’s no need to be so stubborn. I promise that the process is completely painless. All it takes is one simple burial ritual and then you’re mine… **forever**.”

“Forever, you say?” I asked.

“Yes,” Viktor grinned. “Forever. So, what will your answer be?”

“Well, since you put it so nicely: go stake yourself.”

I coughed, hacking so harshly that the dry skin of the inside of my throat began to peel.

Viktor’s facial expression darkened. “There’s that disobedience again,” he tutted. “I must do something about that if you’re to spend the rest of your life with me.”

Stands of hair flew out of my face as Viktor flashed towards my kneeled position in the blink of an eye. A pale wrist was shoved into my face. Viktor used his other hand to grab my hair, forcing me to look up at him.

“Even though you’re about to die, you still look at me with hatred. Drink, little piggie. **Give in** to the temptation. It’s only natural for you to **give in** to your most primal of desires. Sustain yourself through me…”

Viktor pet my hair, while I closed my eyes, shaking my head.

“J-just, kill me already,” I practically begged him. “I’m not as interesting as you think I am.”

More like I don’t want to become a toy for you to play with.

**THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!**

The sound of Viktor’s pulse became to omaddening for me to handle. I opened my mouth, feeling two sharp canines protrude from my gums on instinct. They were shorter than the typical vampire’s. If I had to describe them, they were more like needles in comparison to the sharp canines of a true vampire.

I could feel all sense of control leaving me. I swallowed heavily, shaking my head and moving backwards, only to have Viktor firmly press his wrist into my face again. This continued until I had somehow fallen onto my back. Viktor was now sitting on top of my waist, straddling me as he persistently held up his wrist to my mouth.

“Stubbornness will get you nowhere,” Viktor chuckled. “There’s nothing redeeming about that trait, other than the fact that it’s annoying. I’d rather _not_ have to use force. It’s so tiresome and boring!”

I moaned when Viktor shifted his position, rubbing against my torso. “Perhaps this will persuade you.”

Viktor bit into his wrist, causing several droplets of his blood to splatter onto my face. I turned my head away one second too late. A drop of blood fell into my mouth, the sweetness of its taste quickly eroding at my will power.

In a jerked movement, I grabbed onto Viktor’s wrist, sinking my teeth into his exposed flesh. I drank heavily, feeling my body fill with pleasure and a wholesome form of satisfaction. Tears of blood streaked down my face as I continued to drink from him. I’ve never hated myself more for doing something so repulsive and despicable. Two gulps later, and although far from satisfied, I somehow found it in myself to push Viktor’s wrist away from my face.

“T-that’s enough!” I cried. “I drank from you…now get off me!”

Viktor leered down at me. “How amusing. You show a commendable amount of self-control for a mere fledgling. Although, must I remind you that _I’m_ the one who does the ordering around here? I’ll let your insolence slide just this once. Next time, I won’t be so lenient.”

I growled something unintelligible in response, prompting Viktor to laugh again. “Are you sure that you don’t want more? You hardly even drank from me. You’ll last another two days at most.”

I smirked up at Viktor. “I must be dying in two days then.”

“Not if I don’t let you,” Viktor retorted, huffing with a gleam of arrogance in his cold blue eyes. He looked at me as if I were a mere child.

“That’s what you think,” I said in a hoarse whisper, a warm tear of blood escaping down my right cheek.

Viktor reached down to squish my lips between his cool fingers. “Stop talking. You’re _really_ beginning to annoy me,” he glared. “You’d do best not to get on my bad side. I wouldn’t put it past myself to rip out your tongue and then force feed it through your ungrateful, bratty mouth.”

I was past letting myself be scared by his empty threats. I don’t know why, but there was something about me that fascinated this thing. I could just be pushing my luck, but an instinct in my gut told me that he wouldn’t actually have it in himself to harm me so seriously. He had a temper, sure, but it appeared that he liked to talk more than act. The bastard said that he was a noble, which meant that he was one of the more powerful vampires. He probably had everything handed to him; it frustrated him that I refused to willingly bow down at his feet.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The front doors of the church shuddered and quaked as something outside began to pound against it with the force of a mini freight train.

“VIKTOR, YOU BASTARD!” A familiar cruel voice screeched. “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

Viktor crawled off my lap, cupping both hands to his face in feigned shock. “Uh-oh. It looks like I forgot about him again. How my kitten truly despises to be ignored!” he mused.

Viktor grabbed my hand, forcefully tugging me to my feet. “Invite him in,” he ordered, tightening his grip around my wrist.

I simply ignored him, turning my head to the side.

“I said, **let him in.”**

My head erupted with an immense amount of pain. My thoughts shifted, coming up with every possible reason about why I should listen to Viktor. I could feel myself caving, my body trembling from the pain. I was a subject to his control, and yet, for reasons inexplicable, I was now able to resist his demand. But not without repercussions, of course. My body continued to convulse, several more tears of blood slipping down my cheeks. It felt inherently wrong not to listen to Viktor; my will ached to concede to his demand, but my consciousness fought back.

I let out a guttural scream as the pain only continued to get worse. My chest felt like it was going to burst. I felt guilty, ashamed, tortured, and paradoxically inclined to listen to him. I bent down, grabbing onto the nearest not-broken chapel bench.

“I-I won’t,” I choked.

Viktor’s face flashed with a brief look of surprise before it hardened again. “Interesting,” he growled. “It appears that your half-transformation has offered you a new form of resistance. You can refuse my commands, but at the cost of much physical pain. I wonder what ability you’ll acquire when you become a true vampire…”

Viktor looked at my arm, which was holding onto the bench for support, and then up at me again, a cruel smirk playing onto his face. “I have no choice now but to discipline you into compliance.”

Viktor moved his hand down in a blur, snapping and breaking my arm right at the elbow. I screamed and fell down to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’ll repeat myself again,” Viktor snarled. “ **Let him in.** ”

I refused to respond to him.

Viktor then kicked me in the abdomen. I coughed up blood, and wiped at my face, wincing when I felt the broken bones in my arms and ribcage begin to heal themselves already.

_Yuri Plisetsky…_

“I…I…Yuuri Katsuki, invite and welcome you, Yuri Plisetsky into this church.”

The moment that I said this, the front doors burst open, the same young-looking vampire from before storming into the room with a look furious enough to wilt an entire field of flowers.

“Ah, Yuri!” Viktor’s voice boomed with joy. “You’ve finally come to join me! Did you find another human to feed from?”

The boy vampire scoffed. “Of course I did, jackass. Have you no faith in me?”

“I’m an atheist,” Viktor chuckled. “I don’t believe in faith.”

Yuri opened his mouth in retort, only to growl lowly in his throat when he spotted my slumped over position on the ground. “Viktor,” he began in a low voice. “What the hell did you do to this pig?”

Viktor smiled. “I made him into a fledgling~!” he trilled.

“You fool! What will the Council do when they hear of this?!”

Viktor shrugged, bluffing off his counterpart’s rage with an indifferent breath of air. “Eh, who cares? My blood is pure enough that they won’t dare to challenge my decision… They didn’t do anything when I converted you.”

“That was two hundred years ago!”

“And what a wonderfully sassy two hundred years it’s been!”

Yuri crossed his arms. “You must get rid of him. The Council won’t be as lenient this time. You and I both can be killed for your impulsiveness! You’ve been pushing their buttons for far too long. Your arrogance blinds you to the repercussions of your actions.”

“Aw, is my little kitten jealous at the prospect of having a little brother?” Viktor cooed, the grave tone of Yuri’s voice going completely over his head.

“You know what I find to be really funny? You guys both have the same name, except this little piggie,” Viktor gestured down at my grappling form. “Spells his name with two U’s.”

I hissed lowly to myself. Viktor must have looked into my mind when he had fed from me earlier.

“I’m _not_ jealous! All the more reason to kill him if he has the same name as me!” Yuri fumed. “Knowing you, you’ll just end up killing him when you get bored, and that’s only if, by the small _unlikely_ chance, that the Council _does_ decide to permit this pig’s conversion.”

“Da, I could very well end up killing him, but that’s up to me, not you and your petty adherence to the Council’s loosely enforced rules. This world is now under the control of _all_ vampires. I refuse to subject myself to those weak, power hungry imbeciles. We’ve always thrived under anarchy. There is absolutely no need for rules in a world where the strong prey on the weak.”

Yuri furrowed his pale brows in anger. “You can’t truly believe that they’ll let you get away with this! There’s still time. We can kill him before they find out!”

Viktor shook his head. “Yuri,” he warned. “That’s enough. I’ve already made my decision.”

“For fuck’s sakes! Listen to me!” Yuri exploded. “You can’t get away with everything, you know!”

“I’ll do as I please,” Viktor said coolly. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to leave us. I have some unfinished business to take care of.”

“If you turn him into a vampire, I’ll kill him at the first opportunity that I get,” Yuri threatened, his blue-green eyes glowing with challenge.

“Do that and I’ll kill you right afterwards,” Viktor growled back. “Make no mistake. Time means absolutely nothing to me if my wishes are betrayed.”

Yuri’s face paled. “I hope you’re happy. Your selfishness has just killed us both. The Council never forgives…it never forgets…”

Yuri turned on his heels.

“Where are you going?” Viktor asked in a sharp voice.

“I’m getting the hell out of here. I want absolutely no part in this. If I leave now, I still might be spared,” Yuri answered.

Yuri sped out of the church in a blur of blond hair.

Viktor sighed. “Children these days. Always so rebellious. Anyways, where were we? Ah, yes, about my offer…”

Viktor pinched my chin with two fingers, tilting up my head so that I was looking at him. “Do you wish to become a vampire now or later?” he asked.

“Never,” I coughed.

Viktor let go of my chin. “Later it is then. I must say that I’m a bit relieved by your answer. I’m afraid that giving away so much blood has made me tired. I must retire for the day in order to regain my strength.”

“Don’t bother coming back,” I glared. “I won’t be here, that’s for sure.”

Viktor bent down, bringing his face so close to mine that our noses touched. His skin was uncomfortably cold. “You forget that by swapping blood we are now bonded together. Whether you like it or not, I’ll know where you are at all times.”

I sharply moved my head away from his.

“Tsk! So rude!” Viktor exclaimed. “You’re _lucky_ that I’m being this nice to you. There’s a reason that I have so very few kin in this world. I don’t hesitate to rip apart and destroy those things in this world that I hate.”

“What if those _things_ hate you right back?” I panted.

“Ha! You’ve got the quite the mouth on you. No matter, you’re no longer amusing to me right now. Go off and do as you please, I won’t follow after you. You won’t last very long without my blood. Human food won’t satisfy you, and neither will their blood. Not even the blood of ten humans will be enough to quench your thirst. It is _my_ blood that is keeping you stuck in this half-transformed state, and it is _my_ blood that will either be the life or death of you.

“The pain and temptation of your thirst will only grow with time. When it becomes unbearable all you have to do is call for me. Only when you’re begging and grovelling at my feet will the real fun begin. Good bye, little piggie. I look forward to seeing you kiss the ground before me.”

Viktor turned his back to me, the sides of his face spreading into a sadistic grin.

“Get back here, you bastard! I’m not done with you!” I stumbled onto my feet, but the thing had already left the church in blur that was too quick for the eye to catch. Another blood-splotched tear trickled down my face. I just felt so lost. I was neither human nor vampire. I didn’t belong anywhere.

 But, I still had a home and friends to go back to. The thirst that I had felt before was gone. Maybe Viktor was bluffing. Maybe the sharpened effects of his blood would go away after time. Yeah, that was the only hope that I could hold onto. Vampire were notorious for being cunning liars. He was probably just trying to manipulate me into becoming one of his blood-sucking slaves.

However, none of this explained why he had decided to let me go so easily. Vampires were naturally forceful and egotistical beings. It was unheard for them to set their prey free.

 Not wanting to jinx my luck, I decided to leave the church and head back to the University. I got by much quicker than usual, sprinting at a speed that was too agile for a human, but much too slow for a vampire.

The sky was getting lighter, and I didn’t want to take my chances of dealing with a rabid werewolf. I had only heard stories about them, none of which were good.

…

By the time that I had come to stand before the gates of the University, the sun was just beginning to rise. Oddly enough, I hadn’t encountered any vampires on my trip here. I had seen eyes staring at me in the darkness, but none of them had dared to approach me. I must not have smelled like a human anymore, which was most likely the effect of that thing’s blood running through my veins.

I stopped before the metal gates, looking up at the brick columns that held it in place. The University had been a private campus, with gates surrounding the entire space that it covered. I just so happened to be entering at the main front gates, where all persons of our group checked in after we had been out on a scavenging mission.

If anything, the University was probably one the safest places for us humans to stay. The buildings that we lived in were far enough away that the vampires couldn’t set them on fire, and therefore stake us out. Not to mention the invisible barrier that prevented them from entering without invitation.

One time, a vampire had attempted to throw a Molotov cocktail over the front gate, but thankfully, the barrier had prevented it from entering; the result of which was one severely crispy, dead vampire. That was another weakness of all vampires; if burned for long enough, their healings powers would fail and they would die. 

Vampires were hardly interested in staking out my group of friends anyways. There were only six of us in total. There were more humans scattered around the city for the vampires to leech off of. During the initial phases of the takeover, people panicked and had left the University to find their families. Since my family was back in Japan, I had nowhere to go. It’s been two months since the phonelines have gone down, so I’m at a complete loss as to whether or not they’re alive. The other people who stayed back were also exchange students save for Leo, a Mexican-American who lived here in Detroit.

**RUSTLE!**

A rustling in the trees above me made me aware of the fact that I was being watched. I wonder who was on guard tonight? That’s another one of our group’s main rules. Two people are always to stand guard at the front gates of the University. The other exits were blocked over with whatever silver chains that we had been able to find lying around in the now desecrated city.

Patrol was only conducted at night, since it was the vampires that we were more comfortable with defending ourselves against. This meant that we all slept during the day, while the werewolves prowled about. All that we knew about werewolves was that they too required permission to enter human dwellings. From what I’ve heard, they didn’t have the power of mind control. Still, that didn’t make them any less scary. We have yet to learn about their weakness, let alone how to kill them.

My ears perked at the sound of familiar bickering.

“Mickey, calm down will you? It’s fine, he doesn’t appear to be a vampire.”

“Telling me to calm down only makes me more nervous!”

“Uh, guys?” I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth. “It’s me, Yuuri.”

Two figures hopped down from the trees above, their feet neatly landing onto the surface of the brick wall that hugged the University’s perimeter. They were both dressed in black, their eyes hooded by the visors of their head caps. Both were also carrying sharpened wooden stakes in their hands.

“Yuuri? Is that really you?!” Emil’s sing-song voice echoed. “What happened to your glasses? I hardly recognize you ahahaha!”

“OOOF!” Emil cried out when Michele violently elbowed him in the stomach.

“Keep it down, moron. You’re going to attract the leeches!” Michele hissed, halting my chance to answer Emil’s question.

Emil pouted. “Sorry for being glad that my friend’s alive.”

“You can be glad once we’re inside!”

Emil and Michele stepped out into view, the cover of the tree no longer hiding them. Michele was a lean, medium height Italian exchange student with reddish brown hair, sharp purple eyes, and a permanent scowl on his face. He had a much nicer twin sister named Sara, who was also part of our group, and would go to the ends of the Earth in order to protect her. The twins had both been fourth years like me at the University before the world had been turned upside down. Fair warning, don’t ever piss off Michele. You’ll regret everything when he angrily shoves a fist up your ass in retaliation, uh, not that I’ve had that done to me!

Emil, on the other hand, was much warmer than Michele, and was probably the bubbliest person of our group. He was perhaps too kind, in fact. He trusted just about everyone, and could hardly ever say no to a person. This usually resulted in Sara ordering him around and getting him to do plenty of chores for her, such as taking over her guard duties or whatnot. Emil was a Czech exchange student who had been in his second year of schooling before, well, you already know what I mean at this point…

 Much to the latter’s dismay, Emil was also slightly taller than Michele. He had sweet, doe-like blue eyes, messy, light brown hair and a faint beard to match. In contrast to Michele, Emil was a bit more muscular in form.

 No matter, those two combined were probably the best guards in our group. Michele had even killed a vampire once, which is a pretty disgusting sight, I’ll tell you. A vampire exploded into a pile of guts and blood whenever they were staked right through the heart. Don’t tell Sara I told you this, but I’ve caught Michele sneaking off Campus to hunt vampires before. Sometimes Emil would join him, but I kept my mouth shut, as I knew that a big fight would ensue if the rest of our group members had found out about this. It was another rule of ours that only one person could leave the University at a time. We were already low in numbers as it was, and getting along with each other was imperative to our group’s survival.

Michele leered down at me in suspicion. “Where’s your bag? Did you get any food?” he asked.

I shook my head, swallowing nervously. “No, I was chased off by vampires and had to leave it behind.”

Michele inhaled sharply and opened his mouth in retort, but I was quick to interrupt them. “I took shelter in a church until it was too early for them to be outside,” I lied. “They wouldn’t have been able to follow my trail.”

Michele grunted in approval, while Emil nodded his head seriously, stroking his beard in contemplation with two fingers.

I thought it best not to tell them about my encounter with thing one and thing two. For all I knew, the effect of _his_ blood would wear off with time. Or perhaps I was just in denial. I didn’t really have time to think through my possible courses of action before I got here. The University was the only home that I had left; my family was here, no matter how dysfunctional they were.

Emil checked his wristwatch. “We should probably head inside now. The sun will be up in a few minutes.”

Michele growled his assent, throwing over a rope ladder for me to climb up the wall with.

I gulped, suddenly fearful that I wouldn’t be able to enter the campus without permission. My fear was quelled when I found myself able to climb up the wall without any barrier to block my entry. I brushed off the dust from my pants, looking up to Michele with a weak smile on my face. Believe it or not, I was actually a very shy and anxious person to be around. It was only when my life was in danger that my personality become cold and calculated; it was the only emotional guard that ensured my survival.

Michele clicked his tongue at me. “What the fuck happened to you? There’s blood all over your face.”

I nervously rubbed at the back of my neck, remembering how I had been crying tears of blood earlier. “I, um, don’t really remember. I fell a lot when I was running away. I didn’t even realize that my glasses had fallen off until now,” I forced out a chuckle in order to make myself seem more believable.

Michele fingered the cross pendant around his neck, still looking at me with an evident amount of skepticism. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that vampires weren’t affected by religious items. Either way, Michele was still a devoted Catholic. Who was I to take away from his religious beliefs?

“That’s the last time that we’re drawing straws. It looks like I’m the only one who can go out and get shit done,” Michele grumbled to himself.

“That’s not true!” Emil blurted out, only to be ignored. “I brought back food just last week.”

I bowed my head in mourning. Our group had only begun to draw straws for our scavenging missions ever since my best friend, Phichit, had disappeared a month back. We had to make an assumption for the worse and presume him to be dead. The grief of Phichit’s death was still too fresh for me. I forcefully blinked back tears, reminding myself that if I cried blood, my friends would automatically be suspicious of me.

Since Phichit’s disappearance, everyone but Michele and Emil were terrified of the prospect of having to leave the University on their own. The only reason that we took turns was simply because we couldn’t have the same people going out all the time. Continuity in our patterns had the potential to alert the vampires of our presence.

Michele glared at me again. “You better be able to see without those glasses of yours. We already have enough dead weight in our group as it is.”

“I can see you right now, can’t I?” I joked with a weak amount of sarcasm. Michele obviously didn’t find this funny as he scoffed in response.

I gasped when Emil pulled me into a tight bear hug. I cautiously forced my mouth shut when I heard the sound of Emil’s strong heartbeat. “I’m so glad that you’re okay. We were all so worried, even Mickey!”

“Was not!” Michele snarled.

“Was too!” Emil grinned, pulling away from the hug. “He wanted to go out there and see if you were okay, but I held him back. Sara would literally murder me if I let her precious brother get hurt,” he teased.

Michele curled his upper lip at the both of us. “What the fuck ever. Let’s just get inside already before the leeches send out their dogs.”

All three of us climbed down the wall by using the conveniently placed branches of the oak tree situated by the front gates. We then headed for the dorm building that we were all staying in. Michele would look back at me in suspicion every now and then, but Emil didn’t appear to be too worried about my change in appearance. I would have to be extra careful in front of Michele until the effect of _his_ blood wore off…

We entered the dorm building, making our way to the commons room. There we found the rest of our group sitting in the lounge’s leather arm chairs, sleeping bags curled up at their feet. They must have been too worried to sleep on their own.

Leo, the American member of our group that I had mentioned earlier, nudged shoulders with Guang Hong, who had fallen asleep next to him on the arm chair.

Leo was a Mexican-American with medium-length brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and prominently thick eyebrows. Like Emil, he had been a second year student at the University. Leo was a very caring and loyal person, and had made it his responsibility to look out for Guang Hong, the youngest member of our group.

Guang Hong was a Chinese exchange student who was smart enough to begin his first year of University at the young age of seventeen. He was a timid, shy mannered boy with a mop of light brown hair, and soft brown eyes with slight flecks of amber in them. He was delicate in frame; the boy wasn’t built for combat or any other form of conflict. But, Guang Hong sure was smart, I’ll give him that. It was because of him that we had somehow managed to keep the electricity going in the building. He was currently working on getting the hydro system up and running. For now, we had no choice but to shower in the University’s many fountains.

“Nice to see that you made it back, Katsuki,” Leo smiled warmly at me, covering his mouth as he let out a large yawn.

“Yeah!” Guang Hong piped in shyly, looking down at his feet. “We were really worried.”

“OMG!” A loud squeal caused me to look over to my right. Sara, Michele’s twin sister, came sprinting towards me, her arms held out for a hug. Sara had the same tan skin and purple eyes as Michele, but their personalities couldn’t have been any different from each other. Sara was a lot more outgoing and flirtatious than her older brother.

“Yuuri, what happened to you?!” Sara spluttered, skidding to a stop before me, her long black hair whipping behind her. “There’s blood all over your face!” she exclaimed.

“I ran into some vampires, but was able to get away from them,” I answered.

Sara’s eyes widened in concern.

I gulped, clenching both fists tightly. I could hear everyone’s heartbeat, and although I wasn’t thirsty right now in particular, I still didn’t feel comfortable or safe being around them.

“It’s alright!” I waved my hands to quell Sara’s worried expression. “They didn’t hurt me,” I lied once more. “I just fell a lot. You know how clumsy I can be!”

A tear slipped down Sara’s cheek as she pulled me into a hug. “Thank God you’re okay,” she sniffed.

“Oi!” Michele roared. “How come you don’t hug me like that?”

Sara pulled away from the hug. “Why would I need to hug you if you’re already latched to my side like a needy koala 24/7?!” she retorted.

The twins quickly slipped into angry Italian, bickering back and forth while Emil laughed at their comically angry expressions.

Leo caught my eye. “I’m assuming that you didn’t come back with anything?” he asked.

I silently shook my head.

“Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you,” Leo reassured me. “The fact that you went out on your own is a feat in itself.”

“You were really brave, Yuuri,” Guang Hong added. “I would have never been able to do what you did.”

“And you’ll never have to,” Leo fondly looked down at Guang Hong. “We need you and your crazy smart brain alive. I’ll volunteer in your place if need be.”

“Oh Leo,” Guang Hong blushed a faint pink. “You’re just _so_ cool,” he gushed.

“Nah, I’m just looking out for a friend,” Leo waved off Guang Hong’s comment with a humble crinkle of the eyes.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. “If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to wash up and get some rest. I’m not feeling very well.”

Sara and Michele halted their argument, the former of which began to fawn over me like a worried mother hen. Sara walked over to me, placing a hand against my forehead. “You don’t appear to have a fever,” she remarked, raising a perfectly plucked brow at me.

“Sara, leave him be,” Michele of all people came to my defense. “You don’t know what he’s been through.”

“Oh fine,” Sara huffed. “Good night to all of you brutes then. A girl’s gotta get her beauty sleep, am I right?”

Emil was the only one who agreed with Sara’s sarcastic statement, as per oblivious usual.

I said my goodbyes one last time before I headed up to my old dorm room, grateful that I was finally alone. I had never been a very social person to begin with. Phichit was the only person whom I had been close with before the takeover, but now, I was all alone, with only his empty bed as a grim reminder of our friendship.

I took off my grimy clothes, washing my face with a basin of luke warm water resting on top of my dresser. I changed into a fresh set of baggy and comfortable clothing, resignedly climbing into the rickety twin mattress of my bed.

It wasn’t long before I had fallen asleep.

…

I tossed and turned in bed, waking up every now and then from the pain of a piercing headache. I could feel _him_ attempting to pry into my thoughts, but just like before, I had managed to block him out for the most part. The pain was still the same, causing bloody tears to streak down my face.

I turned onto my side, licking my chapped lips. The thirst was slowly beginning to creep back. It wasn’t just like any other hunger that I’ve experienced before. My entire body was draining and aching for something to fulfill its cravings. I refused to let the hunger get to me, firmly clamping my lips shut. It didn’t help that the throbbing heartbeats of my friends were testing the limits of my willpower further. It didn’t matter that we were scattered across several floors in the dorm building; I could still hear them, their breathing, and even their voices.

 **Where are you?** Viktor’s voice broke through my mental barrier.

I sat up from the shock of this, grabbing my temple with both hands and squinting my eyes shut. “GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!” I screeched at no one in particular.

**Come to me.**

**My blood is yours.**

**Let me satisfy you.**

I growled low in my throat, slamming my hand against the firm mattress of the bed. “I DON’T NEED YOU!”

I waited five minutes…ten minutes…up to an hour in fact. I didn’t hear his voice again, but I was too rattled at this point to go to sleep. The sun was beginning to set anyways; it wouldn’t be long before everyone had woken up.

I stood up from bed, crossing over to my wardrobe to look at my reflection in the mirror. My skin was unnaturally pale save for the dark purple circles under my eyes and the red streaks of blood from my long-dried tears. I ran a hand through my damp black hair, removing the fringe from my face. My cheekbone structure and jawline had become sharper and much more pronounced.

I shook my head, refusing to ogle at myself for any longer. Just when I had finished wiping my face with a cloth, someone rapped their knuckles against the door to my dorm room.

I cocked my head to the side in confusion, walking over to open the door. Michele stood at the entrance of my door, looking tense and suspiciously secretive.

“Michele?” I questioned. “What are you doing up this early?”

It wasn’t actually early, since we all slept during the day. If I had to guess, it was probably around five PM.

Michele flippantly ignored my question. “How come you were screaming?” he pried, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Bad nightmares, I suppose,” I answered, averting my gaze away from his stern purple eyes.

“Whatever,” Michele rolled his eyes. “Emil and I are going for a hunt. Care to join us?”

“Oh, um, I don’t really think that’s a good idea.”

“Che,” Michele growled. “Typical Katsuki. Always pussies out when the going gets tough!”

“It’s not that!” I protested. “What if we die? What will the others do?”

Michele grabbed onto the sleeve of my hoodie, pulling me forward. “Well, I guess that we can’t die then. Hurry up! We have a good two hours before the others begin to wake up.”

“At least let me change first!” I spluttered.

Michele rolled his eyes once more, letting go of my sleeve. “Fine. We’ll be waiting for you up at the front gates. You have ten minutes.”

Michele turned around to leave, looking over his shoulder. “Learn to live on the edge a little. It’s about damn time that we humans learn how to fight back,” he huffed.

I simply stood there, unable to think of a retort to that statement.

Risky as this hunting trip would be, Michele was right: It was about time that we defended ourselves and fought back. Hiding in the University like helpless sitting ducks wasn't how I wanted to live the rest of my life.

The tables had turned.

 The prey would now become the hunters.


	3. Chapter 3

I left the dorm building, making as little sound as possible. Sara and the others probably wouldn’t be up until around 9PM, which gave Emil, Michele, and I plenty of time to conduct our hunt. I still can’t believe that I agreed to this. Although, I pretty much had no choice over the matter. Ever since I had come back from my failure of a food run, Michele had been acting wary of me. This hunt would hopefully restore some of that trust.

I let out a deep breath, walking in crisp, stiff paces down the pathway that led up to the University’s front gates. The sun was just beginning to set, meaning that we would also have a good amount of time to prepare and organize ourselves for this trip. For my main weapon, I carried a sharpened wooden stake in my right hand. I also had several silver knives hidden and strapped down underneath my pants.

Despite being so prepared, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. As hunters, we were still inexperienced. Michele had been the only one to kill a vampire, and even then, he had been lucky. Vampires at that time hadn’t known that we humans were aware of their weakness towards wood. Those bloodsuckers had learned from this mistake very quickly, however. I’m almost sure that Michele had a pricey bounty on his head in the Underworld because of this killing…

I had every reason to feel anxious. My arm and ribs were still sore from when Vik-* that thing had broken them back in the Church. There was also the fact that my throat was dryer than sandpaper. It seemed that as my thirst grew, the heartbeats of my surrounding friends became louder… _stronger_.

I would frequently have to bite my lip; the pain helped me forget about the dark thoughts that had infested my mind. The thirst made it seem almost too easy for me to feed from one of my friends. I had to keep reminding myself that I was _not_ a vampire, and that this part of me _would_ fade away with time. This was the only hope that I could hold onto.

But, should my luck run out, and my thirst only continue to grow, I would just have to put aside my selfishness and leave the group… for good. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I had harmed any one of them. Either way, I would rather die than become a vampire. I would much rather commit suicide than genocide anyways. People who are turned into vampires become monsters. Who goes to that I would be any different?

I sighed, stopping to stand before the brick posts attached to the sides of the front gate. I could already hear Emil and Michele bickering. I tutted under my breath, rolling my eyes. They really shouldn’t be speaking so loud. A werewolf could be nearby for all we know.

“I’m telling you Emil, he doesn’t look the same! He was never _that_ skinny!”

“Mickey,” Emil chided. “You’re being paranoid. Tsk! Tsk! Are the hunting nerves already getting to you?”

“Stop patronizing me, you creepy smiley fuckface! And don’t you pat my head either!”

“Aw~! Are you feeling grumpy, _big_ man? Here, let me fix that with a _big_ hug!”

“I said fuck off!” Michele roared.

I climbed up the rope ladder, flushing slightly in embarrassment. Michele wasn’t wrong; ever since I had fed from that thing, my body had become much leaner in appearance. My physical body had improved in conjunction with my sense of hearing and sight. I now understand why vampires make use of werewolves as their minions; their sense of smell wasn’t all that great to begin with.

Emil and Michele parted from their mini-wrestling match, which was more like Michele prying himself out of the strong grip of Emil’s hug. Emil had a wry smirk on his face as he teasingly draped an elbow onto Michele’s right shoulder. Michele countered by elbowing Emil in the stomach, causing the latter to double over and hack up spittle.

At this point, I had climbed to stand on top of the wall’s ridge.

“So…violent…” Emil wheezed, before looking up and turning his kind blue eyes in my direction. “Oh! Yuuri! There you are~!”

“Keh!” Michele spit on the ground, giving me a displeased look. “What the fuck took you so long?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I grabbed as many weapons as I could.” I pulled up my right pant leg, revealing several silver knives strapped to my thigh. “Why, would you prefer that I came unprepared?”

“Drop the cockiness, Katsuki,” Michele growled, his purple eyes narrowing. “You have no right to act that way after coming back from your food run empty handed.”

“That’s enough, Michele,” Emil warned, the usual mirthful expression on his face disappearing. “If we’re to hunt, we have to work together. You know that.”

The solemnness of Emil’s tone shook Michele back into focus.

“Whatever,” Michele scoffed, walking over to the nearest branch of the oak tree resting near the front gate. He climbed up the tree, retrieving a black duffle bag before hopping down again.

Michele beckoned us forward with an impatient hand. “Pile in motherfuckers, it’s game time.”

Emil and I both rolled our eyes, walking over to crouch around Michele. Michele pulled out three visor caps. At the front of the caps, a sheet of clear, hard plastic was haphazardly attached to them by thick copper wires. These caps would help protect us from the mind control powers that most vampires possessed. This way, we would be able to look at the vampire without having them be able to pry through our mind. Facing a vampire without any eye protection put humans at a much greater risk of subjection. You never knew when a vampire would decide to use their mind control powers.

Just ask me; I had had a firsthand experience with these very mind control powers. My glasses had been low enough on my face for that thing to make direct eye contact with me. This, of course, didn’t protect us from the vampires who had the ability of telekinesis, like _him_. Although, none of this explains why _he_ hadn’t been able to control me after I had been forced to drink _his_ blood…

“Katsuki!” Michele snapped. “Get your head out of your ass and pay attention!”

I robotically nodded my head up and down. “R-Right!”

Emil handed me a visor cap, sympathetically patting my back. “Still feeling a bit under the weather, yeah?”

**THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!**

“Mhhhmmm,” I muttered through clenched lips. I attempted to swallow, but my mouth was far too dry for that to happen.

“If you need to stay back, just let us know, kay?” Emil smiled at me, earning himself another glare from Michele.

“I’m fine thank you,” I smiled back.

“Oi! Are you two done sucking each other’s dicks or are we going to come up with a plan?” Michele screeched.

“Forgive us, your highness,” Emil and I both drawled in perfect synchrony. “God forbid that we interrupt your divine words of obscenity.”

Michele’s chest puffed up in offense. He was not one to take jokes lightly. “You two better watch your fucking mouths!” he grumbled, nervously fingering the pendant of his cross neckless. I winced. I really ought to tell him how useless of a weapon religious items were.

“Says you,” Emil yawned, only to be ignored.

Michele swore under his breath. “For fuck’s sakes. We’ll all be dead if you two don’t get your shit together.”

Emil chuckled, stroking his stubble-covered chin with one hand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling mighty fine. How about you, Yuuri?”

“Just dandy,” I smirked.

Michele facepalmed. “Fucking lovely.”

“My God, he has a sense of humour!” Emil exclaimed, his mouth parted open in feigned shock.

Michele looked like he was considering committing double homicide at this point. “Look, the plan will go as follows. If we find a vampire on their own, we engage. If we encounter a group of vampires that outnumber us, we retreat. In the case where we don’t find any vampires, which I find really fucking unlikely, we’ll make a quick food run and get back to the University before the others wake up. Sounds good?”

“Sounds lovely,” Emil teased.

**WHAP!**

Emil whimpered when Michele whacked him over the back of the head.

I deadpanned. This hunt would definitely turn out to be something, all right.

…

So far, we had had no luck in finding a vampire. I thought this to be a bit odd. The sun had set, and we were walking right out in the open. Michele was being as loud and brass as usual, and Emil was doing his part by obliviously provoking the former into lashing out. I kept my distance from them, staying behind a few paces. The thirst was continually getting worse; I don’t know how much more pressure I would be able to withstand.

This was all just too confusing for me to wrap my mind around. Speaking of which, I haven’t felt _him_ trying to pry into my mind for a long time now. Somehow, I had been able to sense his presence before, but right now, I couldn’t feel him at all. Honestly, this was probably a good thing. Maybe he had finally gotten bored of me. Well, to that I say good riddance!

We were now walking on the sidewalk outside of a strip of long-looted local convenience stores. The only lights that guided us forward were the flashlights we carried around with us. Well, that and the shimmering light of the full moon. Emil was pissing off Michele by constantly flicking his flashlight into the latter’s eyes.

**CAW! CAW!**

All three of us paused, looking up to see a raven swoop down, flying across the street to rest on top of the roof of an old pet store. We all let out breaths of relief. Michele swore, grabbing his cross pendant and rubbing it with his fingers. Emil offered an unrequited hug, only to pout when he was rejected without any hesitation on Michele’s part.

I bit my lip, deciding for once that it was better for me not to hold my tongue. “Michele,” I called out.

Michele looked over his shoulder, the residual scowl on his face not lessening up in the slightest. “Yeah?”

I made a motion to swallow, wincing at the dryness of my mouth. “Vampires aren’t weakened by religious items. They’re useless.”

Michele raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh, and just how would you know about that?”

“I encountered a few vampires yesterday when I was out. I held up my cross and they didn’t even flinch,” I answered Michele, albeit a bit impatiently. It was beginning to annoy me how apprehensive he was acting towards me.

Michele let his cross necklace fall against his neck. “Fine. I believe you. Did you find out anything else? You should have reported this right away.”

“I know,” I sighed.

Michele didn’t look very forgiving, not that he had ever been a remotely understanding person to begin with. It took a lot to reason with his stubborn attitude.

“I was still a bit shaken up when I came back last night. And no, there were too many of them for me to stay behind and fight back,” I lied.

“Pussy,” Michele scoffed.

“If you were in his place, you would have probably run away too, Mickey,” Emil scolded.

“Fuck no! I would have staked and burned those leeches to the ground!”

“Uh-huh, sure. You’re always rushing to get back home. That’s why last time we survived, you broke down and cried about how much you missed Sara.”

“We were gone for a long time!”

“We were gone for forty-five minutes,” Emil deadpanned, only to receive the sole of a combat boot to the face. I made a mental note to myself to never get on the bad side of an Italian… _ever_ …

I blocked out the rest of their bickering for the meantime.

Another _long_ hour passed without us encountering a single vampire.

Michele groaned, throwing his hands up in the air out of exasperation. “Go figure. The one time that I’m looking for a fight and nothing happens.”

A smooth, bubbly laugh echoed above us. “Did someone say fight?”

All three of us looked up to spot a female figure sitting on top of a nearby burnt-out lamppost. Her face was obscured by the hood of a black cloak that extended all the way down to her thighs. She had long, sleek legs, those of which were accentuated by the tight ripped denim jeans that she wore. Two shiny red heels gleamed under the moonlight, playfully swinging high above the ground. The crossed position of her legs indicated a casual sort of cockiness. I immediately felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Whatever this thing was, she sure as hell wasn’t human.

“Hello boys,” the mysterious woman drawled, drawing her hood down to reveal a pair of glowing indigo eyes. Her skin tone was creamy white, contrasting deeply with the cropped blood-red hair that fell down to her slender shoulders. Her lips were also a deep red; wide and plump enough to seduce and invite any onlooker, regardless of their gender. It’s unimaginable how beautiful something so evil could appear. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that this girl was a vampire, despite the fact that she looked to be no older than eighteen.

“I was beginning to think that you would never show up. How rude of you to make a lady wait,” the thing pouted her lips. She had a very similar accent to that of _Viktor’s,_ although I couldn’t quite place what it was exactly.

“The fuck, were you stalking us or something?!” Michele roared, reaching down for his stake. Emil tensed as well, stepping up beside Michele just in case the Italian did anything too rash.

The thing placed an index finger against her too-red-to-be-true lips, letting out a light giggle. “You livestock are always so silly! It’s very amusing to me. To answer your question; no, I did not stalk you. I tracked you.”

“That’s the same thing to me, you crazy demonic bitch!” Michele growled.

Emil readied his position, reciprocating Michele’s actions. I pulled out my stake as well, joining my friends to form a defensive ring.

“Well,” Michele gestured for the vampire to hop down from her post. “Ladies first. I don’t see it as possible that you’ll let us go without a fight,” he smirked.

The female vampire laughed, genuinely this time. The sound of it sent chills down my spine. “Ha! It looks like you humans have finally learned your place in this world. As for a fight? That is where you are wrong. I’ll slaughter you before you can even think of piercing me with those mere sticks of yours.”

The female vampire took off her heels, discarding them with a quick flick of the wrist. They scattered far across the other end of the street. “Forgive me, but these shoes tend to be quite bothersome in combat. I’m afraid that they’re only useful for fashion purposes.”

“Keh, this one sure likes to talk a bunch,” Michele muttered to himself.

The female vampire then hopped down from the lamppost, creating cracks in the cement as she landed on her feet, albeit gracefully.

“Rumour has it that there’s a new fledgling in town. I’ve been called upon my superiors to investigate this matter. Tell me, do you pigs know anything about this?”

“Mi dispiace, I don’t speak psycho,” Michele snorted. “Shut your mouth and let’s get to the fight part already.”

The female vampire’s facial expression darkened. “Don’t try to fool me by acting bold. I can hear how fast your weak heart beats as we speak. You fear me, and for a very good reason. That mouth of yours has just prevented you from being granted any mercy. You wouldn’t make for a good slave anyways; too disobedient,” she tutted.

“As if I would let myself become a slave,” Michele huffed.

“You tell her, Mickey!” Emil cheered.

“Shut the fuck up, you’re ruining the moment!” Michele snapped.

Emil shook his head in disbelief, looking at the female vampire through the protective screen of his visor cap. “You said something about a fledgling?” he questioned.

The female vampire took a languid step forward, embodying the grace of a lioness who was about to pounce on her prey. “I did, yes,” she answered. “If you have any information to spare, please do share. I’ll make your death very quick, pinkie swear~!”

**ZIP!**  
  
Michele reached into his pocket, flinging a silver knife at the female vampire.

In a blur, the female vampire skidded to the right, her cloak still billowing from the movement. “Nice try, pig. I saw that move from a mile away.”

**ZIP!**

Michele furrowed his eyebrows in anger, a furious expression plastering his face.

The female vampire sped to the left. “And that one!”

**ZIP!**

“And that one too, aha~!”

“Fucking bitch!” Michele roared.

The female vampire chuckled. “Very foolish indeed, to waste your weapons like that. Don’t you realize that I’m able to predict your moves before you can even think of them?”

“She must have the ability of precognition,” I whispered to my friends, keeping my voice low even if the female vampire could still hear me nonetheless. All vampires had the ability of mind control, but it was the stronger ones that had additional mental powers.

“Correct!” the female vampire exclaimed, setting her sights on me. “I am among the best trackers that the Council has to offer. For whatever reason, my instincts have led me here. One of you pigs must be the fledgling that I’m looking for.”

“Council?” Emil muttered.

“Trackers?” Michele echoed Emil’s confusion.

I felt my blood run cold. My secret was about to be found out.

Michele’s shouts snapped me back into focus. “I don’t know what the hell you’re ranting on about, but enough stalling. The only small talk that I’ll accept is you begging for me not to shove this stake right through your cold, dead heart!”

Michele lunged forward.

The female vampire parted her mouth open in mocking. “Uh-oh. Your friend will come to save you in three, two, one…”

“Michele, don’t!” Emil cried out, diving in front of Michele.

The female vampire grabbed Emil by the throat, holding up his struggling form to the air. Long slender fingers tightened their grip, the sharp red nails at the tips of them puncturing through the first few layers of skin. “Oh boo,” she pouted. “You’re not the one that I’m looking for…”

“…I hate to admit, but those hats of yours are a very smart protection indeed. No matter, your bodies are still _very_ frail and weak. So many things in this world can kill you in the mere blink of an eye. Pity…” Emil screamed when the female vampire threw him across the street like a rag doll.

Michele and I both cried out when Emil’s unconscious body crumpled against a ground-level bill board.

“Emil!”

“YOU MOTHERFUCKING CUNT! I’LL KILL YOU!” Michele made a movement to raise his stake, but the female vampire had already anticipated this, knocking the weapon out of his hand so that it scattered several feet away from him.

“And you say that I talk too much,” the female vampire mused. “Talk less and smile more, my dear little pig. Death is on his way~!”

Michele choked when the female vampire lifted him up from the ground. She was holding him by the neck just like she had done with Emil. “You don’t appear to be the new fledgling either…”

Michele’s face was quickly losing colour. He kicked and grunted up a storm, while the female vampire continued to squeeze his throat, laughing in glee all the while.

The female vampire shed her fangs, no doubt preparing to feed from Michele.

I had finally had enough. I didn’t care if my secret would be revealed; my friends needed me.

I reached into my pocket, and without hesitation, I whipped a knife forward. “Don’t you dare touch him!” I screamed.

The female vampire screeched when the knife embedded itself in her right forearm. She dropped a wheezing Michele to the ground, wrenching the blade out of her now gushing wound.

“How?” the female hissed. “How is it that I could not predict your movements? You…You must be the new fledgling! I can’t sense you at all. How very odd. I have no choice but to kill you now. The Council will never allow another fledgling that shows this much potential to exist…”

The female vampire stepped forward, leaving a still gasping Michele behind. Michele, however, wasn’t done with her. He grabbed onto the cuff of her jeans, attempting to pull her back.

“Katsuki,” Michele panted. “Run…Oomph!”

The female vampire effortlessly shook her leg free from his grip, aiming a kick to his chest. Michele crumpled face first onto the ground, not having the strength to get up again.

The female vampire sped towards me, grabbing me by the cuff of my shirt before I could even move. My protective visor fell off due to the quickness of this movement. I was soon staring into a pair of leering indigo eyes, those of which were cold and unrelenting. “Found you,” she smirked.

I moved to reach into my pocket, but was quickly slammed onto the ground, back first. The female vampire was now straddling me, bowing her head down for closer inspection.

“What do you want from me?” I grunted.

“I don’t want. I take. Want implies the possibility of failure. Now let’s see who was foolish enough to make you a child of the night.”

The female vampire’s eyes widened when she pressed a cold palm against my forehead, as if to read my thoughts. “No,” she muttered to herself, a horrified expression creeping onto her face.

“What?” I smirked. “Stake got your heart?”

The female vampire paid me no heed, scrambling off my body as if something had possessed her. “I must leave before he finds me. I do not wish to repeat what happened last time.”

“What a shame. Those were my favourite pair of heels too.” The female vampire stood up in a rush, nervously bringing a fist to her mouth. She looked down at me one last time. “I truly do pity you. If you’re smart enough, I advise that you kill yourself. That would be the kindest fate that this cruel world has to offer you.”

**WHOOSH!**

The female vampire was gone with a quick flick of her cloak.

I groaned, sitting up slowly only to cough and hack up a small amount of blood. The back of my head still hurt. “What a coward,” I whispered to myself. She must have figured out that Viktor was the one who had given me his blood. The fact that the female vampire was terrified of him wasn’t a good sign for me at all. I might just have to take her advice. But first, I had to check to see if my friends were okay.

By the time that I was standing, Michele was already forcing himself to sit up, grunting in pain. Furious purple eyes looked up to glare at me. “What the fuck was that?” he roared. “Why did she refer to you as a ‘fledgling’?”

 I remained silent, answering Michele’s question.

“You’re one of those bloodsuckers, aren’t you?!”

“I’m not!” I protested, only to have a tear of blood streak down my cheek.

“Then explain why the fuck you’re crying blood! We trusted you, Yuuri!” Michele croaked. “You betrayed me, Emil, Sara…everyone. You’re _disgusting!_ ”

I winced, feeling more bloody tears streak down my face.

Michele forced himself to stand up, wobbling unsteadily to the side. “I’ll kill you myself. I’ll avenge Emil’s death.”

“Emil’s still alive!” I blurted out. “I can hear his heart beat!”

“So you _are_ one of them!”

“No! I-!”

“S-shut up!” Michele screamed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a silver knife.

I took a step back. “Michele, please. Don’t do this.”

Michele was just scared and angry. I wouldn’t be able to explain anything to him without him resorting to violence. I had to think fast. And then, it hit me. I would have to attempt to use mind control, strong emphasis on attempt. It’s already been proven that I had other abilities similar to that of a vampire…either way, I had no other option but to run away. I had to try; I didn’t want to be forced to leave my friends and live on my own, as selfish as this desire may be.

“I don’t want to hear it! I have zero tolerance for traitors!” Michele spat.

“Michele?” I asked softly.

“What damn it?!”

“ **Look at me.”**

Amazingly enough, my voice evoked the same amount of glamour magic that _his_ did.

Michele’s glare softened, his purple eyes turning into blank slits. The knife that he had been holding in his right hand dropped to the ground.

“ **You will not remember anything from the past two hours. You did not see that vampire just now, and you did not just find out that I was a fledgling. Do I make myself clear?”**

“Yes,” Michele drawled without any emotion.

“ **I’m glad that you understand. For the next two minutes, you will fall asleep. When you wake up, I expect you to carry Emil’s body back to the University. You will guide him back to his room without making a sound. After that, you are to forget that this encounter ever happened.”**

“Yes.”

**“If anyone asks where I am, tell them that I went out on another food run.”**

“Yes.”

“ **Good. Now** **go to sleep, Michele.”**

Michele closed his eyes, falling forward. Luckily, I was close enough to catch and prevent him from face planting onto the cement. It took much effort to restrain myself from biting into his neck. My gums were beginning to grow sore; I could feel my fangs itching to pop out.

After carrying Michele across the street towards Emil’s unconscious body, I repeated the same mind control process. Emil’s mind was still a bit foggy from hitting his head so hard. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have any broken bones. At worst, Emil was probably suffering from a severe concussion.

I then left my two friends behind, as Michele was sure to wake up at any given moment. Besides, I didn’t trust myself to be around them. In fact, there was something much more alluring that was currently plaguing my thoughts.

I licked my lips.

I could sense blood…

Lots of it.

…

I had crossed several streets over, giving Michele and Emil enough time to get back to the University safely. In the distance, I could already hear their bickering and grunts of pain. It surprised me how much I didn’t care whether or not they made it back to our home. Blood was the only relevant thing on my mind. I wouldn’t be able to think properly unless I consumed some.

A small part of my mind fought back, but I could feel its strength wavering with each dry swallow of my mouth. I could feel the hunger weaken me; my vision was dulling; my breaths sharpened and wheeze-like. My ears rang from the throbbing sound of my own heartbeat; it began to speed up faster and faster as I approached what appeared to be a recent warzone.

A young man’s corpse laid sprawled out on the sidewalk, resting in front of a local convenience store. A large broken shard of glass had been shoved into his chest. I licked my lips, realizing that his death must have been recent. His blood was still pooling out onto the cement beneath him, despite the fact that his heart had ceased beating.

A rustle above me caused me to look up at the rooftop of the convenience store and the other ones adjacent to it. Several dark figures with gleaming eyes looked down at me. I opened my mouth, letting out a guttural hiss. The figures looked down at the street, their gazes resting on the other mangled bodies that littered the area. In the blink of an eye, they were gone, running in the opposite direction across the rooftops.

_Good riddance…_

_. I staggered forward, feeling the thin needles of my fangs protrude through my gums. I knelt before the faceless man, imagining all the different ways that I could begin to consume his precious liquids. I placed a hand in the blood pooling around the corpse, raising a bloody finger to my lips; just to taste. I would be coy and appetize my hunger…It was all a game_.

“Tsk! Tsk! I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a familiar male voice snapped me back into focus.

With a gasp, I fell back, looking up in horror at the blood that was now splattered all across my right hand and forearm. “AH! What the-?!” I spluttered.

I kicked at the ground beneath me, scuttling as far away from the mangled corpse that I had just been about to consume. Bloody tears of confusion spilled down my face.

Viktor casually leaned back against the brick wall outside of the convenience store, a knowing smirk plastered onto his face. He was wearing a long black trench coat, semi-loose jeans that were folded at the bottom, as well as pointed black loafers. A pair of sunglasses were used to cover his eyes; his cocky body demeanor reminding me of some sort of rock star. The arrogant bastard had a charisma that was not only ‘in your face’, but irritating, as he truly believed that he was above those around him. His grey-silver hair carelessly billowed in the wind.

Viktor raised his dark sunglasses on top of his head. “Human blood will only make your thirst worst, little piggie. You can feel it already, can’t you? The thirst is beginning to strip away at your sanity. Why, if I hadn’t come in time, who knows what horrors you would have committed. What you need is my blood; I can help you stay sane. Even better, allow me to turn you into a vampire.”

I kneeled over, pressing both palms against the hard granite of the sidewalk. “Is that what you want? To turn me into a vampire so that I can become even more insane?” I panted.

“Not all vampires become insane at the beginning, you know. And if they do, it’s only for a short period of time. New vampires are typically inept at controlling their hunger. With time, they will eventually learn how to tame it,” Viktor tutted. “Besides, you show considerable strength for just a mere fledging.”

“I’d rather die,” I snapped, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Really now?” Viktor mused. “That’s not what I saw. In fact, it appeared that you were ready to tear into that dead livestock’s throat. How barbaric~!”

I bowed my head, my entire body trembling in fury. “SHUT-UP!” I hissed.

Viktor continued to get under my skin as if his entire existence depended on it.

“What will happen next time when you can’t control your hunger? What will you do if you snap and kill one of your friends?”

“I SAID SHUT-UP!”

Viktor took a step forward, feigning an unconvincing pout. “Pity. It’s too bad that I missed all of the action, judging by your wounds and tears and rips in your outfit. I’m afraid that I must keep a low profile. I would rather not be detected by the Council this early on in my crime.”

“Crime?” I wheezed. The hunger wasn’t getting any better. I could hardly speak at this point; that’s just how dry and hollow my throat was.

“Yes crime. The Council requires that all new fledglings be registered and approved of before hand. Only those few selected will be allowed to be made into a vampire. I’ve never cared for rules, but I won’t allow a fledgling of mine to be slaughtered by them; that’s my job if they prove to be disobedient.”

I furrowed my brows. I’m almost sure that I remembered Viktor and the other Yuri discussing something about the Council back in the Church. By the sounds of it, the Council must be a strong ruling force in the world of the vampires.

Viktor aimed a sharp glare in my direction before resuming his speech. “It would be harder for them to kill you if you were a vampire. Not to mention the fact that I would give you my word that I would protect you as if you were my own child. A master and his kin share a deep bond that would harm both parties should it be broken.”

“Let them kill me and you both then,” I snorted.

Viktor chuckled. “I won’t let that happen anytime soon, unfortunately for you. An illegally made vampire will surely provoke the Council into retaliation~! Selfish, as I may be, at least I recognize it. But alas, I can’t help but wonder: Tell me, my dear, preciously defiant little Yuuri. What foolish motivation could have possibly led you and your friends to come out of hiding this late at night?”

I looked up, a sadistic grin sprouting onto my face. “We were out hunting your fellow bloodsuckers.”

I closed my eyes, expecting Viktor to break a bone and/or rip off a limb of mine. Instead, I was met with the bubby sound of laughter.

“Ahahaha! So bold and naïve!” Viktor exclaimed. “How inspiring and refreshing! It’s adorable how brave you humans think you are!”

“No matter, I must investigate for myself what happened. It doesn’t seem like you’ll be enlightening me with your foolish actions anytime soon.” Viktor raised his wrist to his mouth, elongating his fangs. He bit into his wrist, walking over so that he held the dripping wound above my head. The blood began to splatter on the pavement before me.

“Go on,” Viktor cooed. “Drink, let my blood fill you with the satisfaction you have long craved…”

The next moment went by in a blur. There was zero willpower on the part of my actions as I leapt forward, snatching onto Viktor’s wrist. Viktor pulled me down to sit on the sidewalk next to him while I bent over and drank the blood from his wrist. My entire body felt hot and flushed as I drank.

Viktor smugly patted my hair. “Drink, abandon your defiance and give in to your most primal instincts.”

I moaned in protest, still not having the conscience to pull away.

I could feel Viktor tense beneath me, his breath hitching. Several memories were flashing through my head. I caught a glimpse of the female vampire. The image shifted to show Emil and Michele’s unconscious forms. I began to pull away, realizing that Viktor was looking into my memories; this only ever happened whenever we swapped blood with each other. Another image of the female vampire slamming me against the pavement flashed across our minds.

Viktor’s grip on me tightened. For a brief moment, an unfamiliar image of a young-boy with silver hair and rags for clothes filled my mind. The image disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, however. I finally managed to break free from Viktor’s grip, taking advantage of his brief slip in composure. He appeared shocked and disturbed by something.

I scrambled off of Viktor, hating myself even more when I felt the weakness of my previously hunger-driven state dissipate.

Viktor stood up abruptly, growling and hissing lowly under his throat. All of a sudden, I felt terrified. Objects all across the street began to fly and scrape against the pavement. Pieces of glass, old wires, and broken telephone poles flew high up into the air. His anger must have made his telekinesis powers stronger, more uncontrollable.

“ _That bitch,”_ Viktor growled.

“Uh…Viktor?” I croaked, feeling strange when referring to him by his actual name. A gut instinct told me that if he didn’t calm down, someone would get hurt. That someone would most likely be me.

Viktor spun around, not even remotely flinching when several objects came crashing down to the ground, creating several cracks in the surrounding asphalt.

I let out a surprised squeak when Viktor sped towards me, tilting up my chin. The bruises on my neck were still in the process of healing, but they were dark enough for Viktor to spot them. “I’ll kill that wench where she stands! She should know better than to mess with what isn’t hers!”

I cried out when Viktor pulled me against his chest, tucking his chin over my head. He was cold, and too strong for me to pull away from his embrace. “You are _mine,”_ he snapped. “And because you are mine, it is my duty to protect you. You must have been spotted by other vampires on that night. It’s the only possible explanation for why the Council has already tracked you this early on.”

Viktor raked his finger through my hair, while I sobbed in fear. “You are never to leave my side again.”

“I-I’m not your property!” I stammered, raising my hands to push Viktor in the chest. He must not have been expecting this, as he staggered backwards a few paces.

Viktor gave me a cryptic smile. “Oh but you are. Come with me, I must take you back to my lair where you will be safe.”

Viktor took a step forward.

“S-stay the fuck away from me!” I screamed, reaching into my pocket to pull out my last silver knife.

“Oh look! He swore! What a naughty, naughty little boy,” Viktor snickered, not even looking remotely wary of the weapon that I held in my hand.

“I’m not coming with you,” I repeated, this time gritting my teeth and speaking much firmer in tone.

Viktor let out an exasperated sigh. “You’ve given me no choice. I’ll have you know that as we speak, a group of vampires has just spotted the location where you and your friends are hiding. If you care for their lives, you’ll offer yourself up to me. A prostitution of your soul, if you will, aha~!”

“That’s impossible!” I exclaimed. “I made sure to block you out of my thoughts.”

“Yes,” Viktor hummed. “You did, and quite well in fact. I have yet to figure out why, but that has nothing to do with this current matter. Your friends were quite loud, and inevitably drew attention to themselves. Other vampires have spotted them; I can hear them deliberating their next course of action right now. So, whatever will you do, my dear defiant little Yuuri?

“Will you give yourself up to me and save the lives of your friends? Or will you selfishly prevent me from having you and let your friends die as a result? The University will prove as a futile hideout if your friends are barred from ever leaving it again.”

I balled my hands into tight fists. “Let me get this straight. There are vampires standing outside the University right now?”

Viktor’s cruel smirk answered my question.

“And how exactly will you ensure their protection?” I inquired.

“I’ll rip those low life vampires into pieces before they can even realize who they’re dealing with.”

“Both options are shitty,” I frowned.

Viktor shrugged. “There’s always a third option open to you. I’m not one for stalling, but given the circumstances, it seems more plausible, and perhaps even fun. You will become my feeding toy, and I, yours. We will sustain each other both. I will protect the gates surrounding the University, and in return, I will get to feed from you whenever I desire. Sooner or later, I’ll turn you into a true vampire, but I only wish to do so if you’re fully consenting. Your defiance has become tiresome, but eventually, I _will_ wear you down and make you mine…by _your own_ choice. It wouldn’t be fun for me to possess you otherwise. “

“I highly doubt that,” I snorted. “But hey, go ahead and try. You won’t be very successful.”

“I don’t care for your tone of voice,” Viktor growled. “You speak as if you hold the power in this situation. I _do_.”

“Fine,” I huffed. “Whatever. How can I guarantee that you will keep my friends safe if I become your permanent feeding toy?”

Whether I liked it or not, Viktor has already proven to me that I needed his blood to stay sane. My blood, on the other hand, must have still been human enough to satisfy his own cravings.

Viktor reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a vial of blood. “Give my blood to your friends. It will help heal their injuries.”

“Won’t they turn into fledglings, if I do that?” I asked, frowning skeptically.

“Blood has to be swapped between both parties in order for that to happen,” Viktor answered. “You better make your decision quick, little piggie. One of your friends will die in his sleep if he doesn’t receive my blood. There is internal bleeding in his head, an injury that will surely kill him come sunrise.”

_Emil…_

Viktor shed me with a smug, albeit knowing glare.

I lowered my weapon. I then bit my lip, reluctantly taking the vial from Viktor and placing it into my jean pocket. “You have a deal.”

Viktor brought my left hand to his cold lips, kissing it gently. “This is only a temporary solution, mind you. You will eventually have to become a true vampire. My blood won’t sustain you forever. Your body, in time, will begin to reject the change and you _will_ die. I refuse to let that happen. You are too precious and interesting for me to allow that.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll get there when we get there,” I scowled down at the ground. “Why are you helping me anyways?”

Viktor reached over to fondly ruffle my hair. “ _Why,_ I have nothing else better to do. I’ve always been a petty creature, and spiting the Council has become a good hobby of mine over the years.”

I ducked out of Viktor’s reach, warily patting the vial that was now stowed away in my pocket. “I still don’t trust you.”

Viktor gave me a full smile, baring his fangs. “Fine then. Let your friend die. See if I care. The only pig that I’m interested in taming is you and no one else.”

I swallowed heavily. “I hate you,” I sneered.

It really did seem like Viktor was being honest with me. He wouldn’t have given me a vial of his blood if he knew that I would just drink it for myself and not use it on Emil and Michele. He knew that I needed his blood, and yet he still gave it to me. It also wouldn’t make much sense for Viktor to make two other fledglings if I was already causing enough problems for him as it was.

No matter how much I despised to do so, I would have to place my trust in him; just this once.

“Ah,” Viktor let out a pleased hum. “Very interesting indeed. It will take a lot of work for me to woo you over to the dark side...I’ve always been fond of challenges. Let’s see how long it takes for me to finally _break_ you.”

Viktor grabbed both of my hands, suspiciously beaming down at me. My breath hitched in recognition. I’ve seen that dark expression on his face before…

I cried out when Viktor twisted my right wrist at an unnatural angle.

**CRACK!**

I grabbed my broken wrist, holding back my screams, as I knew that it would only fuel that thing’s vicious, sadistic ego.

Viktor ‘playfully’ poked the tip of my nose before walking forward and turning his back to me. “Good bye, little piggie. That was my last warning. Next time I won’t be so kind when you decide to talk back to your master.”

“B-bastard,” I croaked, but Viktor was already long gone.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

I was lying in bed, and although my injuries had already healed, I was sore. More importantly, my entire throat was dry and raw. Viktor had never been lying to me with regards to my current state as a fledgling. There was no point in denying it now. I could _hear_ the heartbeats of my friends; I craved their blood like you wouldn’t know. I had almost gotten them both killed last night. Heck, I had almost consumed a _corpse_. I was becoming desperate. My sanity was beginning to slip away in a much quicker timespan than before if I didn’t drink _his_ blood. It had only been twelve hours and I was _already_ craving it.

None of this felt real, and yet, I knew that I was no longer human. As of now, I was sprawled out on my back, looking up at the chipped painting job of my dorm room’s ceiling. I opened my mouth, willing my newly-acquired needle-like fangs to protrude in and out of my gums. I thought that if I learned how to control their appearance, perhaps I could also learn how to control and supress the hunger that came along with them.

The curtains in front of my bedroom window had been firmly drawn shut; absolutely no sunlight was allowed to protrude through. Unlike vampires, sunlight didn’t burn me into a pile of ashes. The sunlight only made me feel uncomfortable; it was painful to look at, and just the thought of warmth touching my now much cooler body temperature made me feel squeamish inside.

I could feel Viktor’s presence beginning to stir awake. I was still taking great lengths to block him out of my mind, but I was still nonetheless aware of him. It was almost as if he were hovering over me, sitting on my chest, or observing me from the darkest shadow in my room. He was always lurking on the edge, despite my ability to prevent him from invading my mind and deepest privacies.

**I’m hungry.**

**Where are you?**

**Come out, come out wherever you are~!**

Chills ran up and down my spine at the sound of his voice. I chose not to answer him, squeezing my eyes shut to calm the pounding of my heart and alarmed nervous system. I should have known that Viktor would be taking advantage of every opportunity to make me his slave. Still, he _has_ kept his word. I hadn’t encountered any vampires on my trip back last night.

Great, what again exactly have I agreed to? I couldn’t just keep disappearing without my friends’ noticing. Mind control couldn’t possibly be the solution to every mistake that I made; it took up too far much of my energy. But, a deal was a deal. If I followed through with my promise, my friends would hopefully be able to live safe and undetected. If things escalated with Viktor, I could always just turn myself in to whatever ‘Council’ those bloodsuckers had governing them. Surely, that would either get Viktor into trouble or prevent him from running his mouth too much and overstaying his invitation to _my_ body.

In just three days, I’ve already had two vampires (other than Viktor) threaten to kill me. First, there was that furious younger vampire, who I assumed to be one of Viktor’s underlings. And then there was that redhead vampire, who supposedly worked for the ‘Council’. Putting everything together, it appeared that Viktor and I both had high stakes running for us if we broke our promises…

I tossed and turned in bed at the sound of my friends’ bickering. I sighed in relief, remembering how battered they had become after last night’s failed hunt. Although, my mind control powers had made things much easier for me. All I had to do was slip a few drops of Viktor’s blood into their mouths while they were sleeping, and voila, they were as good as new! Unfortunately, this meant that there was no leftover blood for me. Agh! The fact that I had just said ‘unfortunately’ is _very_ concerning.

With a groan, I got out of bed, stumbling over to my dresser to pull out a comfy black long-sleeved shirt and a matching pair of sweatpants. I then reached into the water basin resting on my desk and doused my face with two handfuls of water. By the time that I had left my room, Emil and Michele were already having their first brawl of the day.

I entered the outside hallway, only to regret ever leaving my room. Emil was wearing nothing more than checkered boxer shorts, blinding everyone with his pastiness, and repulsing all the same due to the darkness of his very visible chest hair. The Czech was always bright and sunny in the mornings, much to the annoyance of the rest of us.

 Michele was wearing boxers too, but at least he had a large grey t-shirt to cover up his chest. The Italian had dark purple bags under his eyes; the grumpy expression on his face told me that it must have been no later than 8PM. If he wasn’t out hunting or doing scavenging missions, Michele preferred to sleep in, sometimes even as late as 2AM. It didn’t help that he refused to drink the instant coffee that Emil had managed to find for him, as he was still lamenting over the fact that his precious expresso was a thing of the past. Not to burst his bubble, but the whole of human civilization was a thing of the past; there were much more important things to worry about.

Emil draped a pale, lean arm over Michele’s shoulders, bending down so that he could rub his beard against the latter’s cheek. “Morning, grumpy!” he giggled.

Michele scoffed and swatted at Emil’s arm. “I said geroff!” he grumbled, still too tired to form a coherent sentence.

“So you’re not much of a cuddler, eh?” Emil joked. He lazily swayed to the side, looking up to catch me leaving my own room.

“Morning, Yuuri!” Emil chirped.

I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. “Morning,” I murmured.

“He just woke up!” Michele snapped. “Quit assaulting him with your loud-ass voice.”

Emil pouted to himself, crossing his arms to look like a disgruntled man-teddy bear.

So far, so good. It didn’t seem like they remembered anything from last night.

I waved my hand. “It’s fine, really.” I smiled. “Who’s turn is it to stand guard again?” I asked.

Michele rolled his eyes. “You’re scheduled with Sara tonight. Although, if she lets me, I’ll probably takeover.”

“You really need to stop babying her, Mickey,” Emil huffed. “She needs to learn how to defend herself on her own.”

“I’ll do what I damn well please!” Michele growled. “She’s my sister! It’s up to me to protect her!”

“And what if you’re not there to protect her?” Emil asked. “What if you die?”

“Ha!” Michele barked. “That’ll never happen, and you know that. We’re getting better at killing those leeches. It’s only a matter of time before we begin to fight back for real.”

“Soon that attitude will be your doom,” Emil muttered, only to be ignored.

Michele turned, cocking his head to look at me. “Oi, you wanna join us next time?”

“Join what?” I asked. I had no choice but to feign cluelessness.

“You know…” Michele lowered his voice. “Go on a hunt…stake a few of those filthy bloodsuckers?”

“Oh,” I hummed in thought. “Yeah…okay?”

Michele clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Pussy.”

“I didn’t say no!” I protested, feeling my face heat up with in an involuntary blush.

“Si, but you do look like you just about pissed your pants,” Michele smirked, causing Emil to erupt in a fit of laughter.

Michele elbowed Emil in the ribcage; the Czech had attempted to drape his arm around the Italian again.

“What part of personal fucking bubble do you not understand?!” Michele roared.

Emil backed off, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just showing my support!” he whined. “A little affection here and there won’t kill you, you know.”

Sara chose this moment to climb up the stairs to our dorm floor. She was wearing a pink nightgown, and her raven-black hair was sticking up in all possible directions. Not even the messy bun that she had it tied up with could prevent that thick monstrosity from being tamed.

“Mickey,” Sara chided, causing her brother to leap into the air like a spooked cat. “What did I say about swearing?”

Michele deflated ten times over. Sara had never appreciated his foul use of language, and always reprimanded him for it. It was only when Sara was nowhere in sight that Michele let his true vulgarity run wild. He loved his sister dearly, and would do anything to protect her ‘innocence.’

“I’m sorry, Sara, forgive me!” Michele wailed, running over to hug his now stunned twin sister. “Oh, my word. You’ve gotten so thin! Here, allow your big brother to go downstairs and cook you a large meal fit enough for a Queen. I’ll even give up my breakfast rations for you. How does that sound?”

Emil and I both scoffed at the presence of Michele’s mother hen persona.

Sara sighed, rubbing her hand over her brother’s back. Michele had now bent over to hug Sara’s waist, clinging onto her for dear life. “I’ve already had breakfast, you big baby. Leo and Guang-Hong have food ready downstairs in the lounge. Now, if you can let go of me, that’d be great. I have guard duty with Yuuri tonight.”

I reciprocated Sara’s kind smile.

“Saraaaaaaaaaaaa!” Emil whined, knowing full-well that Sara would always take his side over that of her own brother. “Mickey was being mean to me!”

“Is that true?” Sara’s tone lowered dangerously. She eventually managed to pry Michele off of her. Correction, Michele let go of her so that he could whack Emil on the back of the head.

“Ow!”

“Oh, come on! I didn’t hit you that hard! Stop being such a little b-…” Michele paused, clearing his throat awkwardly when Sara assertively stomped her foot against the hallway’s thick carpet. “Um, ahem, I’m going to go get some breakfast.”

“You do that,” Sara raised a wry eyebrow, silencing her brother with one hell of a death glare. For such a tiny and thin girl, she sure was scary.

“I’ll come too!” Emil chirped, daring to drape his arm over Michele’s shoulders again. This time, the Italian had no choice but to allow the Czech to make such a bold move. After all, his sister was there to ensure that he was on his best behaviour.

When Emil and Michele were gone, Sara turned, crossing her arms at me in a scolding manner. “You didn’t get enough sleep again,” she accused.

I shrugged, nervously rubbing the back of my neck. “I just can’t sleep these days. It’s hard, you know…?”

I faltered, letting my silence fill in the gaps.

Sara’s violet eyes warmed in understanding. She knew how hard Phichit’s disappearance has been for me.

“Of course,” she simpered. “I get it. Well, no, I don’t ‘get it’ but I can at least empathize.”

I decided to lighten the mood. “Hey,” I said softly. “Do you maybe want to take a night off? I don’t mind guarding on my own.”

_More like I need an excuse to sneak away without getting caught._

Sara shook her head. “How horrible of a person do you think I am?” she snorted. “I only take advantage of Emil because he’s fun to mess with.”

“I know that,” I laughed. “I just…kinda want some time to think to myself, that’s all. Besides, I know how much you enjoy looking at the stars. You can take refugee on the roof of the Social Sciences building until our shifts are over.”

Sara graciously took my hint. “Oh fine,” she huffed. “I’ll make sure to sketch something fabulous for you,” she teased.

Sara and Michele had both been Art majors before the apocalypse.

“Sounds great!” I nodded my head.

Sara and I then went our separate ways, both of us having our own secrets to keep.

I felt horrible that Michele was lying behind her back, but I didn’t want to make her feel anymore scared than what was absolutely necessary. We all had so much on our minds as it already was. Besides, I’ve always had a soft spot for girls, and went out of my way to ensure that they were well cared for.

I was shy and preferred to keep to myself, but I still nonetheless cared about my friends. And it was for this precise reason that I would be risking my life again.

I could sense Viktor’s impatience.

He was waiting for me, and was getting angrier by the minute.

…

**WHERE…ARE…YOU…?**

I could practically hear the hiss in Viktor’s voice. His anger only served to give me an extra sort of skip to my step. Judging from my senses, he wasn’t too far off. He was probably even arrogant enough to be waiting for me by the front gates.

My suspicions proved to be correct when I climbed over the wall, standing tall to look down at the demon lurking below. Viktor was angrily pacing back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists in the first moment that I had seen him so explicitly loose his cool. He was wearing an open collar button-up blouse with light denim jeans that were folded at the bottoms. The clack of his combat boots stomping against the gravel made me feel anxious. He wasn’t like his usual Rockstar personality, but rather, he seemed on edge; he looked ready to tear into something. Oh wait…

I crossed my arms, tilting up my chin in defiance. “You called?” I asked, raising my voice in the hopes that he wouldn’t notice that both my lips and knees were trembling.

Viktor’s blue eyes narrowed. “You have a lot of nerve, making me wait _this_ long. Especially after I went out of my way to protect those useless pig friends of yours,” he spat, opening his mouth to reveal a pair of sharp fangs.

I swallowed heavily. “I can’t just answer to your beckoning call,” I huffed. “I have a cover to keep.”

“That ‘cover’ won’t last you very long if you refuse to realize where you stand in this deal of ours. You are mine; I get to feed from you whenever I want!”

I smirked. “Someone’s hangry.”

Viktor’s expression softened. “Excuse you?” he asked, furrowing his pale eyebrows.

I shook my head. “Nothing, let’s just get this over with.”

Viktor looked at me expectantly.

I let out a breath of disbelief. “As if you thought that I would invite you in here!”

Viktor hissed once more, forcing a cruel smirk onto his face. “I’m beginning to like you less and less.”

“That makes two of us,” I shot back.

Irritated, Viktor smoothed back the bangs from his face. “Just get down here before I cut my losses and rip your throat out.”

 I pursed my lips. “No thank you. I’m fine right where I am.”

Viktor looked absolutely murderous. I knew that he was hungry, and intended to push his buttons just a little over the edge. Whether he liked it or not, I refused to let him call all the shots. We were both dependent on the other; I wouldn’t tolerate any of his attempts to dominate me.

“The whole Underworld knows about you,” Viktor snapped. “That witch talked, and the Council is now preparing to investigate the matter. Not to mention the fact that there’s a considerable bounty on the head of one of your own. Killing a vampire is a _grave_ offence; you’re all as good as dead now. Even a mere association is enough to justify the slaughtering of your entire pen,” he mused.

 “Ah,” I muttered, refusing to let Viktor get under my skin. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re unable to protect us?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, you insufferable brat! I never said anything of the sort. What I _am_ saying is that without me, none of you would survive!” Viktor fumed.

“If I’m causing you so much trouble, then why not just kill me?” I asked. “I mean _don’t,_ but obviously there’s something missing from your motive that I haven’t figured out yet.”

“What’s there to figure out?” Viktor leered. “I want you to be _mine_. That is why you’re alive, and that is also why I allow those livestock to thrive as well!” he said, gesturing behind me at the University’s many buildings.

I shrugged. “Eh, whatever. I’m all yours then. Well, at least temporarily.”

I hopped down from the gate, landing neatly on my feet next to Viktor.

Viktor looked at me, both appalled and confused.

This shocked me, but once again, I didn’t let on to this. I had expected him to attack me. I had a lot riding on me right now. Being fed on was disgustingly pleasant, but it was the lead up that made it all the more terrifying.

“You’re a difficult and _insufferably_ stubborn human, Yuuri,” Viktor remarked. “And just where do you think you’re going?!”

I began to walk away, having no intentions of being fed anywhere near the University.

Viktor sped in front of me, still hissing as usual. “Stop walking,” he ordered.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, skirting around the dumb-founded vampire with ease. Clearly, I had caught him by surprise. “Is that your ‘scary’ voice? If so, you really need to work on that. Also, I’m not about to be fed on out in the open like this. Believe it or not, I have some dignity left to maintain.”

Viktor began to growl, but I didn’t bother to spare him a second glance. “There’s a park right across the street. You’ve lived long enough to wait another two minutes, geez.”

Viktor didn’t say anything after that. Instead, he walked silently by my side, towering over me like a looming angry giant. I could practically feel the waves of anger rolling off his body. He was still acting possessive, but he didn’t nearly hold as much control over me as he had initially thought. And this made him furious.

**WHOOSH!**

I had only taken a mere step into the park before I found myself pressed up against the bark of a large tree. Viktor held up one arm to my throat while the other arm was used to play with my hair. His eyes and skin gleamed under the pale moonlight.

“Now, where were we?” Viktor growled.

“You were about to feed from the livestock that gave you attitude,” I reminded him.

Viktor clearly didn’t appreciate this comment. He opened his mouth, revealing his fangs again. “You won’t think that everything’s so funny once you learn that you’re better off submitting to me. I know that you crave me; my blood. But soon enough, you’ll be begging for me.”

Viktor caressed the left side of my face.

I turned my head away from him in defiance. “That’s what you think,” I grunted, only to gasp when Viktor pressed himself closer to me. “You can’t break me. I’m tougher than I look.”

“We’ll see about that,” Viktor teased, before finally biting into my throat.

Everything became hot.

I moaned when Viktor licked my neck, prompting more blood to spill out.

“Yes,” Viktor groaned in satisfaction. “Your helplessness is truly intoxicating.”

I became dizzy when Viktor bucked his hips against mine, biting even harder into the delicate skin of my neck.

“I-I’m not helpless,” I grit my teeth.

“Your sounds of pleasure indicate otherwise,” Viktor mused, pressing himself even closer, creating a friction that was almost too much for me to handle.

“Ahhhhh…damn it…” I whimpered.

Viktor grinned, thankfully pulling away. I leaned back against the tree, panting and short of breath.

Viktor bit into his wrist, raising it to my mouth. I licked my lips, feeling my fangs aching to be released from my gums.

I reached to grab onto his wrist, but Viktor pulled it away; he was smirking and dangling it over my head like a lifeline.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Viktor smiled eerily. “Where’s my thanks?”

“Screw you,” I growled low in my throat.

“Be grateful, Yuuri. The need in your eyes is enough to satisfy me… _today._ But what of tomorrow? Or the day after that? It won’t be long before the slave learns to appreciate his master. The longer that they take to crack, the more amusing the challenge~!”

“I’m not your slave,” I said, fuming when Viktor pressed his wrist to my mouth.

My fangs snapped in place on instinct.

I drank deeply from his wound, breathing heavily in content.

Viktor tucked his chin over my head, rubbing circles into my back. “Ah,” he moaned. “That’s what they all say. You’ll warm up to me, eventually. You humans are always so predictable.”

“Tell me,” he mused. “Doesn’t this feel good to you? Don’t lie to me and say that you don’t enjoy it. I may be petty and selfish, but I never lie. I expect the same from you, if I’m to be your master.”

I wasn’t listening to Viktor. I was only focused on drinking from him.

“Oh dear,” Viktor sighed, realizing that I was completely removed from reality. “I’ll have to turn him into a true vampire soon. He has a hunger big enough to overwhelm even that of my own, ha,” he chuckled to himself.

After an eternity, I finally pulled away from Viktor, licking the excess blood from my lips.

“Is the little pig all better now?” Viktor hummed.

I scowled at him. “You talk too much.”                                             

“Would you rather that I just show you that you’re mine?” Viktor just about sang.

“No!” I protested. “Why in God’s name would I want th-!”

“There is no God, remember?” I was immediately cut off when Viktor bent down, pressing his lips against mine. The kiss was quick enough for me to believe that it had never actually happened.

I squeaked, while Viktor simply looked at me, pleased with my flustered reaction.

_What the heck did he do that for?!_

“I hate you!” I spat, raising a few fingers to touch my blood-stained lips. Repulsed, I willed my fangs to retreat back into place.

“Hate can very easily be turned into devotion,” Viktor retorted, ruffling my hair with his pale, and not to mention cold, hand. “I’m beginning to warm up to that stubbornness of yours. It’s quite endearing, actually.”

I rolled my eyes, playing off the fact that my heart was now beating very rapidly in my chest. “I’m glad to be your entertainment,” I deadpanned.

“See! That’s the spirit! Uh-oh, that’s not a happy face!”

“You’re absolutely psychotic!” I snapped in retort.

Viktor shed me with his infamous ‘charming’ smile. I couldn’t stand the sight of it. “That’s where you’re completely wrong, Yuuri. Unlike a psychopath, I’m capable of feeling empathy…

“I’ve just learned not to.”

…

**Chapter 4: Pt. 2**

…

_The next day…_

Even in his slumber, Viktor could sense that something was wrong with that disobedient fledging of _his_. This sense of wrongness, is what ultimately pulled him into consciousness, much to his disgruntlement. He despised having his sleep interrupted. Older vampires required much more sleep than their children; it was a simple fact of life, or rather, death.

Viktor’s own child, Yuri was well aware of this, and took great lengths to avoid Viktor when he was sleeping. They slept at polar opposites of the mansion, mainly because Yuri woke up much earlier in the night than Viktor did. Regardless of their distance, the unmistakable roar of Viktor’s rage was loud enough to make the entire mansion tremble in its wake.

Viktor sat up in his bed, raking a frustrated hand through his smooth grey locks. He then looked over at his night side table, growling again when he realized that it was only 6PM. How odd. He had never woken up this early before. In fact, it was still daytime. Of course, due to the heavily tinted windows and light- blocking curtains surrounding every corner of his abode, Viktor existed in a perpetual state of darkness.

He felt infuriated all over again, recognizing that the ‘pig’ Yuuri must have gotten himself into another dangerous situation. His biological clock wouldn’t have been messed with otherwise.

Viktor furrowed his eyebrows, attempting to slip through the cracks of Yuuri’s well-guarded mind.

_Nothing._

This was the exact reason why Viktor had to change Yuuri into a true vampire as soon as possible. Very few fledglings showed _this_ much potential in terms of strength. If Viktor made Yuuri his, then maybe he would be able to flip the Council on its head, and finally get his revenge…

But none of that would happen unless the boy got over his insufferable stubbornness.

Except, that’s the problem. It was the boy’s stubbornness that had initially drawn Viktor to him. Yuuri had already accepted his death during their first encounter; he had been more than ready to sacrifice his life for those of his friends. Viktor had never seen such altruistic bravery in a human before, and he couldn’t possibly destroy that what was so rare.

Vampires were no different than humans; they were both selfish. The only difference between them was that Vampires had the strength to act out on their inner inhibitions. They eradicated anything that got in the way of them obtaining their greatest most desires…

Viktor desired Yuuri.

And he _would_ make that human his.

If only he could figure out where that brat was.

 “Little pig, little pig, let me in,” Viktor just about snarled.

Nothing.

_Again._

Viktor loathed having a lack of control. Yuuri was going to get himself killed, and Viktor could do absolutely nothing about it. He couldn’t go out into the sun without being burned alive.

Word of the Council spread like wildfire. If Yuuri even so much as stepped out of the University during daytime, he would become instant prey for those dogs who were pretentious enough to call themselves Werewolves. The thought of this concerned Viktor. The Council knew about Yuuri, and would most likely be sending out their mutts, literally and figuratively, to retrieve and dispose of him.

That tyrant, that _child,_ was as fearful as all leaders eventually became. Viktor had always been a threat to the Council, but they weren’t powerful enough to defeat him. Viktor was evenly matched against their leader, after all. No one bothered to mess with him so long as he kept a low profile and didn’t seek to overthrow the order that they had forced upon all members of the Underworld.

Now that Viktor was being defiant, surely they would take notice to this. Viktor had been exiled many centuries ago, but the Council had always kept a careful eye on him. Viktor was powerful, and thus, any of his children posed just as much danger to their order as he did.

Why, it’s only been fifty years since the Council had concluded that Yuri posed no threat to them. Back then, they had forced Yuri to wear a charmed necklace; any act of disobedience would have been met with a ruthless stake to the heart. Nowadays, even though he had been freed, Yuri still went out of his way to placate the Council’s favor, much to Viktor’s own disapproval.

Viktor had been betrayed, and to have his child be brainwashed into serving his enemies disgusted him. Yuri was young, and had a lot to learn; he still let fear run his existence. The Council, if you could even call it one, was paranoid and extended its poisonous tentacles everywhere that they could. They latched onto others’ desire for purpose; gave them a false sense of livelihood; and, most important of all, they offered protection.

Viktor saw through all of this, after all, he had been there on _that_ wretched day. Their ‘leader’ was a maniacal usurper who only cared about himself; he used bribery and blackmail as the means for obtaining the ‘loyalty’ of his servants. All their leader cared about was sustaining his power. Hence, the reason why Yuuri would now be one of their main targets of elimination. Anything of Viktor’s was an enemy of the Council…

Without realizing it, Viktor let out another guttural snarl.

**BRIIIIIIIIIIIING!**

Viktor sighed, picking up the vibrating cellphone on his night side table and flipping it open. If it wasn’t for Yuri, he would have never gotten accustomed to modern technology. He had never really understood what the fascination was with taking photos of oneself. What was it called again? Instantgram? No matter, Viktor had no interest in learning how to use these devices. He rarely used his phone, unlike a _certain_ someone. The only amusing aspect about these things was where its source of power now came from.

Say, how many enslaved pigs does it take to power a cellphone line?

Viktor’s own guess would be around 350. Ha!

Viktor fumbled with the phone, eventually managing to press the speaker button by some remarkable miracle.

“ _Wow, I’m impressed. It took you only a minute and a half to realize that you muted me_ ,” Yuri drawled in a smug voice on the other end of the line. _“Why the hell are you up this early anyways_?”

Viktor agitatedly waved off Yuri’s sarcasm, only to realize that the latter was unable to see him.

“That new fledgling of mine is in trouble. As soon as the sun sets, we’re going out to help him. I have a feeling that the Council has sent out one of their dogs after him.”

“ _He’s still alive_?!” Yuri spluttered.

“Da,” Viktor answered, rolling his eyes.

“ _Are you insane_?!” Yuri screamed. “ _I say let him die then. You’re already in enough trouble as it is_. _Tch! Idiot_!”

“No, I am _not_ insane,” Viktor grit his teeth, willing himself to be patient. “Unlike you, I am _not_ subject to the whims of their irrelevant rules. I also suggest that you watch your mouth when you’re speaking to me.”

Viktor heard Yuri inhale sharply.

“ _Viktor_ ,” Yuri started, lowering his voice. “ _You’re not seriously considering risking everything for-!”_

“But I am!” Viktor snapped. “It’s about time that I fought back… I at least owe _him_ that…”

Viktor trailed off, blinking harshly at the memory of something that he had long tried, but had ultimately failed to repress.

 _“Viktor,”_ Yuri repeated, this time much softer, only to be silenced once more.

“Do _not_ make me come over there! You’ll regret it if I do,” Viktor smiled at the beautiful sound of silence on the other end of the line before continuing. “Now, I expect you to be ready at sunset. Do I make myself clear?”

Yuri reluctantly grumbled his assent, hanging up the phone soon afterwards.

Now all Viktor had to do was wait.

This human was _really_ beginning to get on his nerves.

…

Seung Gil furrowed his thick eyebrows, his eyes wary and skeptical. Going out in the daytime was quite possibly the most stupid thing to do. The fact that he had a loud and sunny-minded partner tagging alongside with him didn’t exactly help to ease his nerves. The only reason why Seung Gil was doing this was so that he could finally settle the score between them.

“How much farther?” Seung Gil asked, purposefully keeping his voice low as a precaution.

Seung Gil’s partner, on the other hand, clearly didn’t get the memo. “Maybe a block or two! We should be able to see the University soon! It’s massive, I tell you!” his partner exclaimed, and _very_ loudly at that.

Seung Gil silently nodded his head. His partner had said that the University was the safest place for them to stay; there was food, water, weapons, and other people as well. To be brutally honest, all Seung Gil really cared about was the promise of extra resources.

Two days ago they had run out of food, and it was only then that Seung Gil had finally agreed to leave the apartment building that they had been seeking refuge in.

“It’s still not too late to turn back,” Seung Gil said in a plain voice. “We’re better off doing this at night.”

Too bad his partner had about the same amount of patience as an ADHD fruit fly.

Seung Gil felt as if his chances of survival were stacked against him, and for a very good reason. Although fewer in numbers, Werewolves were an unknown threat. He had no knowledge as to what their weaknesses were, let alone how to kill them.

Seung Gil’s partner, who was leading the way forward a few paces ahead, turned to look back, his tanned face spreading into a kind and reassuring smile. “You worry too much, Gilly,” he cooed. “We’ll be fine, trust me.”

Seung Gil averted his gaze, sourly looking down at the ground. How he despised that wretched nickname.

With nothing more to say, the two humans carried forward.

Little did they know that they were being followed.

…

**Yuuri’s POV:**

 It was daytime when I woke up to the sound of unfamiliar voices echoing outside my window. Confused, I got out of bed, drawing my hoodie over my head. The voices sounded as if they were coming from somewhere near the front grates.

Not wanting to alarm anyone, I left my dorm room, making the least amount of sound as possible. I winced as I crept past the hallway, walking down into the Commons room where the curtains were left partially open. The sunlight pouring through the windows made me flinch in discomfort, but I still nonetheless pushed on.

The dorm building that we were staying in was attached to the Social Sciences building via a glass window tunnel. This only proved to be more painful for me as I hurriedly stumbled through said tunnel.

I entered the Social Sciences building, skipping through the cafeteria to climb up the stairs to where the classrooms were located. Once there, I walked up to a large window pane that gave me a full view of the entire campus.

I spotted two figures lurking near the front gates. I froze, feeling chills run up and down my spine. Upon second glance, I wasn’t so much as scared, but more confused than anything else. The figures were clearly human, judging by the duffel bags that they carried over their shoulders.

They both appeared to be male. One was pale-skinned, with black hair, and an evident frown on his face. The other one, whose back was turned in the opposite direction, had tanned skin, and black hair that fell down to his ears.

A third figure much farther down the street was also approaching. My heart dropped when I spotted its hulking, muscular figure. It was the fur that caused adrenaline to course through my veins. The werewolf stalked closer and closer, while the humans showed no awareness of the approaching predator.

“Crap!” I cursed, pounding a fist against the glass window in frustration. “Turn around, damn it! It’s coming right for you!”

On cue, the figure with tanned skin turned around to face me. He couldn’t have possibly have heard or seen me, but that didn’t matter right now.

My breath hitched.

I only knew one person who had grey eyes like that.

So Phichit hadn’t died, after all…

I didn’t have time to feel joy.

My feet were moving before I had even realized it.

I refused to lose my best friend.

Not again.

**To be continued…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the support <3 Remember that comments feed the muse :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Yuuri’s POV:**

_Crap! Crap! Crap!_

I stumbled away from the window, my mind hardly coherent enough to form an articulate plan of action. My feet were moving without my realizing, taking me to the central lecture room in the building. I pushed open the metal doors, immediately running down the aisles towards the large green chalkboard below. There, beside the wooden podium, hung several weapons for us to defend ourselves with, consisting mostly of sharpened wooden stakes, bamboo swords, and silver chains. I grabbed a few of each and a pair of running shoes, not bothering to wear a protective mask; I was no longer susceptible to mind control. Either way, I’m almost certain that werewolves didn’t have any other abilities but brute strength and shifting powers.

It wasn’t long before I was sprinting back up the lecture room, nearly smashing my head against one of the cameras perched over the front door. I didn’t have time to change my clothes, so drawing the hoodie of my sweater over my head with the strings pulled tight would just have to do. As a last precaution, I was wearing a pair of sunglasses; I had no idea how much the sunlight outside would affect me. As it was, the light reflecting inside the building was already making me downright uncomfortable.

I didn’t have time to warn the others manually, so I had to settle for ringing the large alarm bell that we had ‘borrowed’ from a fallen church. The bell was hung at the center of the Social Sciences building, which meant that those in the dorm building would hear it loud and clear.

With that done, I sprinted back into the dorm building, wincing as I passed through the connective glass tunnel. I could hear the others begin to shout as I thundered down the staircase leading to the exit of the building. I didn’t even hesitate as I pushed open the doors, pouring out into the sunlight outside.

“C-Christ!” I swore, wincing as the late evening sun burned uncomfortably into my skin. If I had to describe the feeling, it was as I were constantly under the gaze of a bright flashlight, except everywhere that I looked, I was blinded. The amplified heat was uncomfortable, but still manageable; most of my skin was covered, which probably helped insulate me from further damage.

As I ran towards the gates, I couldn’t get the image of that werewolf out of my mind. It was massive, easily seven feet tall. And then there was Phichit and that other guy with him, who were completely helpless and clueless about the ambush that was about to unfold. The werewolf was a good two blocks away in distance, following the pair quietly, but the fact that I had spotted him from so far away was definitely not a good sign. My heart raced with panic and a longing that could only signify how much I had missed my best friend. I had lost him once, and I wouldn’t lose him again.

“Hold on, Phichit,” I growled, quickly approaching the front gates. “I’m coming.”

I scrambled up the ladder and thrust myself on top of the edge of the brick wall. Once standing, I spotted Phichit and his newfound partner lurking awkwardly before the front gates, most likely trying to figure out a way to scale over the wall. They were both wearing jumpsuits, and had matching gym bags slung over their shoulders; they must have looted a sports store recently.

“Phichit!” I called out. “Look out!”

The werewolf was within 100 meters at this point, its shoulders hunched in preparation to leap forward. There was very little known about these creatures, other than they were dangerous. There were second-class beings in comparison to vampires, and followed orders as if they were servants. The vampires made them patrol the streets during the daytime, where they had more control over their shifting abilities. Rumour has it that during a full-moon they lost control over their shifting abilities and transformed into a half-man-half-beast humanoid creature. As of now, the werewolf appeared as a regular wolf, except far, far larger.  

Phichit looked up, while his friend turned around and jumped back, likely noticing the werewolf for the first time. “I told you that going out during the day wasn’t a good idea!” Phichit’s partner snapped, reaching to open his gym bag.

“Yuuri?” Phichit’s grey eyes lit up with excitement, save for the confused expression on his face. “What are you wear-?”

I swung the rope ladder so that it was lying over the opposite side of the wall.

“There’s no time!” I blurted, jumping down from the wall. “We have no choice but to fight and kill this…this thing! We can’t compromise the other’s safety! We’ll save the explanations for later!”

_The faster we kill this thing, the less explaining I have to do._

Phichit nodded his head. “R-right!” he stammered, swallowing heavily as he eyed the approaching beast.

Phichit’s partner rolled his eyes. “Is this guy an idiot or something? He should have saved himself while he still had the chance.”

“A simple thank you would have sufficed,” I huffed.

“I feel less inclined to express my gratitude to a person whose face is hidden from sight,” Phichit’s partner retorted, his face hardly showing a glint of emotion.

Phichit tensed, reading the unfriendly atmosphere before reaching into his own gym bag to pull out a retractable metal sword. “Yuuri, this is Seung-gil. Seung-gil, Yuuri. I’d love to chat and catch up, but by the looks of it, we may not even make it out of this alive…”

“And who’s fault is that?” Seung-gil deadpanned.

Phichit sighed, dropping his usual cheerfulness. The solemn look on his face didn’t suit him at all. “Look, I won’t deny it. I’ll accept full responsibility for whatever happens next. But you know that there are far more vampires than there are werewolves. We had a higher chance of making it here alive now, than we would have had later tonight. Please, don’t let our last words said to each other be in spite.”

Seung-gil’s eyes widened briefly before he clenched his jaw, his hands tightening around his own metal sword. “This is a suicide mission,” he whispered harshly. “If we make it out of this alive, you so owe me.”

Phichit smiled weakly. “Deal.”

The pair then dropped their gym bags behind them.

All three of us grouped together, tensing in a defensive stance as the werewolf approached. It was massive, with coarse black fur, and leering blue eyes. Its claws dug holes into the ground as it prowled, its ears perked, and its bear-like snout twitching as it took in a large whiff of the prey trembling before it.

Seung-gil turned to look at me and scoffed. “Take out your weapon. What are you waiting for?”

Ignoring Seung-gil’s rudeness, I pulled out a silver sword from my supplies bag before discarding it near the wall. I’m almost certain wood wouldn’t affect a beast with muscles that thick and impenetrable.

The werewolf was now within fifty meters. It growled lowly, bearing its sharp canine teeth at us. Some of its teeth were as big as half an arm’s length.

What happened next surprised everyone. In a blur of fur, the werewolf’s body collapsed in on itself. In its place stood a man of average height. His hair was black and cropped in an undercut. He still maintained his sharp blue eyes, but rather than feral, they were now smug. The man was wearing a leather jacket, tight denim skinny jeans, and dark brown combat boots; how his clothes didn’t manage to rip into pieces with each transformation was a complete mystery to me.

The man shed us with a full smile, his unnaturally sharp canines sticking out into view. “Which one of you twerps is the new fledgling in town?” he called out, strolling towards us with a cocky prance to his step. Just from his facial expression, I could tell that he was arrogant. His voice was deep and scratchy; irritating to listen to, but loud enough to force your ears to succumb to its pressure.

Phichit and Seung-gil exchanged confused looks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered, surprised by how stern my voice was. “But what I do want to know is how you found us.”

The man laughed, wiping at his eyes as if to mock me. “You sure are stupid, talking to me like that. You should be grateful that I’m humoring you and not ripping out your throat. Now don’t play ignorant with me, kid. The Council has reports of two dangerous humans in this area; one fledgling, and one vampire slayer. Oh, and just in case you haven’t noticed, they are hardly any survivors left these days. It wasn’t hard for me to follow the only two humans foolish enough to reveal themselves out in the open.”

Seung-gil aimed another glare at Phichit; I was beginning to dislike the former more and more. Unfortunately, the critical situation we were in called for us to work together.

“Hey, kid?” the man grunted, breaking the stifling silence between us. “Want to explain to me why you’re covering your face? That’s a bit suspicious, don’t you think?”

I felt three stares on me now. I had to come up with an adequate lie and fast. “Well, obviously we can’t have you monsters identifying what we look like,” I scoffed. “Sorry to make your massacre sprees more difficult for you. I know, I know, it’s a tough life dominating helpless humans. Spare us the sob story; if you’re going to kill us, just do it already.”

Phichit smirked, always being one to have my back. “I couldn’t have said that any better myself,” he grinned.

The man growled, an inhumane sound that send chills up and down my spine. “You’ll pay for speaking to me like that. I was hoping that this would go a lot smoother. Oh well, my superiors never said anything about keeping you weaklings alive. If one of you just so happens to be the fledgling, so be it. You’re all better off dead anyways. I’m sure that the Council wouldn’t mind. I’d be doing them a favor, seeing as they hate doing all the dirty work, ha!” he laughed bitterly.

The man gave one last roar before his body began to tremor, his muscles rippling. I stood there, frozen and paralyzed with fear. It was the same feeling that I had experienced when I had first met Viktor and that other blond vampire.

“Move out of the way, idiot!” Seung-gil, of all people, was the one to shove me to the side when the werewolf leapt forward.

I snapped back into focus, running to the side to regain some space and assess my next move of attack. The werewolf was stalking after Phichit, who held out his sword with frightened determination, beads of sweat forming on his brow. “Nice, doggie,” he cautioned, only to gasp and roll out of the way when the werewolf swiped its lethal claws at him. “Looks like someone needs to get their nails clipped!”

“Would you quit joking around?!” Seung-gil shouted. “You’re only provoking it!”

Phichit sighed, wiping at his forehead. “That’s the plan, Gilly,” he grunted, waving forward the werewolf with his sword. “An angry opponent is more likely to be rash and make mistakes.”

Phichit began to sprint away from the wall, leading the werewolf towards the other end of the street. “Come on boy,” he cooed. “Let’s go for a walk.”

All I could do was stand in horrified silence. I was completely useless. My feet were glued to the ground; I couldn’t move. Damn it! Why couldn’t I fight?! My friend needed me, and here I was, watching him approach the doors of death without so much of a thought about his own life.

**Don’t fight it.**

**You will die.**

**Save yourself and run.**

I grabbed my forehead, feeling Viktor prying into a mind with the strength of a bulldozer.

“No,” I croaked. “I can’t just stand here and let them die.”

**LISTEN TO ME.**

**DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE?**

**IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO FIGHT THAT THING.**

“Well that’s too bad,” I gasped, using everything that I had to push Viktor’s presence away. “Because I’m going to help them anyways.”

**Ha! As if! I can feel your fear from here.**

**You’d be completely useless in battle.**

**If you die, I won’t hesitate to slaughter all your friends.**

**I’ve been much too patient with you and now look at where it’s gotten me.**

“Go away,” I hissed.

**I don’t take orders from you.**

**You’re MINE.**

“Then tell me what that thing’s weakness is,” I threatened, ignoring his latter statement. “The sun doesn’t set for another two hours. You can’t stop me from doing this. So unless you want me to die, I suggest that you tell me how to kill that werewolf, now!”

I heard Viktor growl in my mind. I could feel his anger, seeping into my very core, the strength of it fueling my desire to protect my comrades.

Bitingly, Viktor muttered one word.

**Silver.**

“Thank you,” I whispered, running over to the supplies bag that I had discarded previously. I had Viktor wrapped around my finger. He needed me alive. I found it interesting how both creatures of the night were weakened by silver; a very useful piece of knowledge indeed.

**You can’t kill it. If you weaken it with silver, you’ll have enough time to get away.**

“It knows where we are. I have to kill it.”

**Don’t be foolish. It’ll kill you before you get the chance.**

**I’ll take care of it once the sun sets.**

“Fine,” I muttered, disliking how I had to rely on Viktor’s protection yet again, even if it was part of our agreement. “Now goodbye. You’re beginning to give me a headache.”

**You insolent, brat! Don’t you dare-!**

I finally managed to push Viktor out of my mind. His anger had taken me by surprise. Now I was guarded well enough to deal with his unpredictable flux of emotions; I wouldn’t let him in again unless I absolutely needed him.

I grabbed a silver chain from my supplies bag. It was long enough to drag on the ground behind me as I hurried over to help Phichit and Seung-gil.

The werewolf had just crashed headfirst into a lamp-post, thanks to Phichit’s tactful distraction. It appeared that Seung-gil was aiming his sword for the werewolf’s eyes, as its head was now bent low enough for an enemy to strike it down.

“Hey!” I called out.

Seung-gil sneered at me, jumping back when the werewolf swiped its massive paw at his chest. His right arm had already taken a blow, a shallow one, but blood was still pouring from it nonetheless. “We don’t need your help. You’re just going to get in the way,” he spat. “Go be useless somewhere else!”

“Seung-gil, look out!” Phichit cried out.

The werewolf had knocked over another lamp-post, sending it tumbling over to crush the place where Seung-gil would have been standing had I not have shoved him out of the way. The silver chain that I was holding dragged against the ground with a painful-sounding creak.

“And that makes us even,” I snapped, reciprocating Seung-gil’s glare. Since we were in the middle of a battle, he made no comment, nor showed any sign of realizing how inhumanely fast I had just moved.

Phichit joined us, flanking at my left. “What’s that you got there, Yuuri?” he asked, aiming a look at the silver chain I had slung over my shoulder.

“Our only hope of surviving,” I answered. “Just like vampires, werewolves are weakened by silver. If I hold him back with this chain, it should give us just enough time to climb over the wall and escape. I was wrong, I don’t think we’ll be able to kill it. Not with three people, anyways.”

Seung-gil scoffed. “Take a look at that thing. You’re not nearly strong enough to lift _that_ chain over a beast _that_ tall.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” I growled. “I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

_Yeah, no thanks to the fact that you’re a fledgling!_

Seung-gil wavered, glancing away. His attention shifted towards the werewolf, which was shaking its head free from disorientation. It wouldn’t be long before it started coming after us again.

Phichit struggled. “It’s worth a shot. What do you need us to do?”

I looked over at the right-hand side of the street, where a single, un-destroyed lamp-post stood. “Get it to hit its head again. All it has is brute force, but if we use that to our advantage and let it disorient itself, we can win this fight.”

“And if we fail?” Seung-gil inquired.

“We’ll have to run,” I answered. “The others will be here soon, and I’d rather not drag them into this.”

“Agreed,” Phichit hummed, before stepping forward and waving his sword about. “Hey, you dumb stupid mutt! Come at me! I have a nice bone for you to chew on!”

Seung-gil spared me one last distrustful glare before following Phichit. “This better work,” he warned. “Thanks for saving my life, by the way. But don’t start thinking that I trust you, because I don’t. I’m only doing this out of necessity.”

I didn’t bother to say anything.

Instead, I kept my distance as I watched Phichit and Seung-gil taunt the werewolf into leaping forward. They were participating in a deadly game of dodgeball, the stakes of their lives resting on their ability to move quickly. The werewolf was strong, but due to its heavy weight, it lacked coordination.

The ground shook with each leap the werewolf took. When it was close enough to the surviving lamp-post, I crept over, making as little sound as possible.

Phichit dodged out of the way, nearly bumping into Seung-gil. “Yuuri, now!” he screamed.

The werewolf’s head bashed into the lamp-post, giving me a small window of opportunity to whip the silver chain around its neck. As soon as the chain touched the beast’s fur, it yowled so loud that the entire ground shook. The disgusting sound of sizzling flesh and its putrid scent filled the air.

Gritting my teeth, I tightened the chain around the werewolf’s neck, causing it to collapse on all fours. Furious blue saucers tore their gaze into me, but I didn’t relent.

Phichit shook my shoulder. “Let’s go!”

Seung-gil had already taken it upon himself to climb up the wall.

Before I could respond, Phichit hugged me – more like squeezed. “I’m so glad that I was able to come back,” he choked. “I have so much to tell you!”

I let myself smile briefly, before tugging the chain abruptly when the werewolf snarled menacingly. “It’s nice to see you alive and well too,” I admitted. “Now, go ahead and show Seung-gil in. I’m going to weaken this bastard some more.”

Phichit glanced at the sorry state of the werewolf, confirming that it wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. “All right. Just don’t over do it and come back safe.”

I nodded my head. “Of course.”

Phichit left after that, running towards the wall, where excited shouts and alarmed shrieks welcomed him; looks like everyone had geared up and were ready to fight.

The werewolf squirmed, growling. I jumped a little in surprise when it spoke, a hoarse snarl that was hardly coherent. “Wipe that grin off your face, boy. I may have failed, but the Council won’t stop until every human is either enslaved or dead.”

I removed the silver chains from the beast’s neck, noticing how it had cut through several inches of skin. It revealed the pinks and reds of destroyed muscles and ligaments. As soon as I did so, its wounds began to heal automatically. No matter, the sun was setting, and it wasn’t strong enough to stand up on its own just yet. Viktor would come to finish it off soon enough; that was a fact. I didn’t feel sorry for it at all. Who knows how many humans it’s killed? It deserved whatever torture Viktor decided to bestow upon it.

I gathered the chain, glaring down at the beast whose flesh was still searing with fresh burns. “I’ll worry about that when the time comes, thank you very much.”

The werewolf, if possible, gave me an incredulous look. It was barely able to turn its head. “You’re a fool,” it snorted, furious that I was sparing him. “Enjoy your life while you still can. You’ll be dragged down into hell eventually; I’ll be there to personally greet you.”

“Ya know, you could have just said goodbye like a regular person. Then again, you’re a monstrous abomination, so never mind,” I chuckled, turning my back on the creature.

I smirked, listening to the werewolf’s angry roars; it sounded like music to my ears.

“You’re the new fledgling, aren’t you? There’s no other explanation. No human has ever been strong enough to triumph over me.”

Vampires were the only ones able to sense their own. Ironic, considering that werewolves had a better sense of smell out of the two.

I looked over my shoulder, winking at the panting beast. It bared its teeth at me; a pathetic intimidation tactic given its current situation. It would be dead soon enough. Might as well let it die with at least some degree of dignity. “That I am.”

The werewolf snorted again. “No wonder that bitch was acting so weird. You belong to a psycho, kid. I hope you know that.”

“I don’t belong to anyone but my family. I am my own person. I am not a willess slave like you.”

“You know nothing,” the werewolf snapped. “Don’t pretend you understand my circumstances because you don’t!”

“You’re right, nor do I care. I hope you rot in hell for everything you’ve done,” I retorted.

The werewolf’s expression wavered, suddenly looking vulnerable. “Weren’t you listening to me earlier, kid? I’m already in hell.”

I had nothing more to say. I walked away from the severely wounded werewolf with a perturbed expression on my face, pondering over what he had just said to me.

In the end, I deemed it irrelevant of my time.

I couldn’t feel sorry for a monster. Sympathy for the devil was the first step towards becoming evil, and I wouldn’t allow it.

…

Viktor was not in the greatest of moods. Perhaps all the vampires in the surrounding area could sense that, since none of them were to be found. He was infuriated that Yuuri had refused to listen to him, yet paradoxically proud that a piggie _that_ weak could hold his own and bring a werewolf to his knees. He was also hungry, or maybe he was just cranky? Who knows. All Viktor wanted to do was destroy things, childish as he knew that he was being. He _was_ self-aware, after all.

The night had fallen, the moon shining bright enough to reveal his captive’s smug, pearly white smile. Viktor tightened his grip around the injured werewolf- a werewolf so weak that he had been forced to revert to his human form. His neck and chest area was still bloodied from the silver burn wounds. It was the cocky blue eyes of his captive that really drove Viktor over the edge, causing him to press his arm even harder into the former’s windpipe.

“JJ,” Viktor hummed, his voice smooth, but his eyes screaming bloody murder. “I won’t repeat myself again. Why did the Council send you here?”

Yuri entered the dark alleyway, scoffing when he saw JJ pinned up against a brick wall like a mewling, pathetic pup. “Don’t bother, Viktor. You have you butter up the asshole’s ego if you want him to talk. That, or you grab him by the balls.”

JJ laughed, gasping for air. “Yuri! So pleasant to see you as always! Did you get even taller from the last time I saw you? Looks like the wee little vampie is finally beginning to grow up,” he cooed with a croak.

Yuri snarled, his green eyes gleaming with a feral glow; just like that of a cat preparing to attack. “Fuck off, you degenerate mutt. You should know better than to speak to me like that. Next time, I won’t be so quick to _help.”_

Yuri and JJ shared mutual looks of understanding, with the latter grudgingly backing down, figurative tail resting between his legs. Viktor was unnoticing to this odd exchange.

“I’m giving you one last chance,” Viktor warned. “You werewolves are the scum of the Underworld. Tragic, isn’t it? Once you outlive your usefulness, the Council puts you down without a second thought. Don’t make me stoop down to their level.”

JJ smirked. “I’m bound by oath. If I give you information so easily, I’ll be killed anyways. I’d like to avoid a painful death.”

“Yuri?” Viktor growled.

“Show this dog his place.”

Yuri sighed, giving JJ one last look of warning. He never cared to use his powers, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

It wasn’t long before JJ was screaming, begging for Yuri to stop. Yuri twisted and ate away at JJ’s mind, causing him an immense amount of pain without ever having to touch him.

Viktor glanced at Yuri, dismissing him with an evil tilt of the lips. “That’s enough for now, thank you.”

“Now, where were we?” Viktor pondered, digging a sharp nail into a fresh, still sweltering wound on JJ’s neck. “Oh, yes. That’s right! Tell me what the Council is planning, and I just might be generous enough to spare your life!”

JJ howled. “You’re ruthless!” he cussed. “No wonder they want you dead! At least they’re civilized enough to follow rules.”

Viktor’s finger dug deeper. “The Council regulates others, but commits unthinkable evil themselves. I would hardly call that civilized, would you?”

“AH!” JJ grit his teeth. “All right! All right! I’ll talk, fucking hell!”

Viktor drew a smear of JJ’s own blood across the latter’s lips. “Good boy,” he mused.

“I don’t know what they’re planning. All I know is that the red-headed bitch came back after her first encounter with that fledgling of yours with her panties all up in a twist. They want him captured; I was sent to investigate. Mila didn’t sound very keen about pissing you off. I now understand why.”

“Oh,” Viktor exclaimed, despite tightening his grip around JJ; again. “How boring. I was hoping for a plan more intelligent than that.”

“They’re scoping things out. It won’t be long before they truly come after that fledgling. You better prepare for that if you’re so set on protecting him,” JJ wheezed.

Viktor turned to Yuri, who was leaning against the adjacent wall, picking his nails with a bored expression on his face. “Do you think he’s telling the truth?” he asked.

“Da,” Yuuri answered. “He knows that he’s dead either way. He’s a fugitive with nowhere to go. Besides, most werewolves aren’t fans of the Council. They only heed orders because they’re held captive by blackmail. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were holding someone dear to him hostage.”

Viktor contemplated Yuri’s words. In the end, he decided to believe his kin. After all, Yuri regularly paid visits to the Council. He knew more about how they functioned. Yuri liked to follow rules, and let fear run his life; he would rather go against his master than risk his own hide. He was a selfish being, but Viktor didn’t hold him accountable for it. Everyone was a selfish being in their own right.

“Fine,” Viktor released JJ. “I believe you. But where will you go now?”

JJ straightened his posture, groaning as he cracked his sore joints. “I have no choice but to go back,” he muttered bitterly. “I have something to take care of.”

Something told Viktor that JJ’s something was a someone, but he didn’t bother to comment on it.

Yuri sighed. “I’m coming too. I’m due for a visit anyways.”

“No!” Viktor snapped. “You have to lay low. They could use you against me.”

Yuri slapped at the hand that Viktor had placed over his shoulder. “Are you fucking stupid or something? The Council doesn’t execute those who actually follow the rules. I’ll be fine.”

“Yuri,” Viktor started, only to falter when Yuri leveled him with an intense glare.

“I said that I’ll be fine! Stop pretending that you care about me. We both know that my death would only embarrass you and make you look bad. Everything you do is for yourself. Don’t go ‘selfless’ on me; you’ll make me throw up. Being fake doesn’t suit you, Viktor. You’re far better than that.”

Viktor watched Yuri leave him with sad eyes. “He’s wrong. I do care about him.”

JJ scoffed. “Why don’t you tell him that then?”

Viktor sucker-punched JJ in the face, satisfied when he felt the crunch of bones beneath his fist. Served that mutt right. “I do. It’s just… after all these years, he still refuses to take me seriously…”

JJ groaned.

“Oh, hush you. Don’t make me pull out a muzzle.”

…

**Yuri’s POV:**

Keh, I don’t know why I even bother sometimes. Maybe if Viktor got rid of that thick, egotistical head of his, he would understand my true motives. I’ve never enjoyed meeting with the Council. Why would I ever enjoy meeting with beings who are more than capable of destroying me?

As soon as Viktor had turned me into a vampire, those tyrants sought out to kill me. The only reason I am alive today was because of the pendant they had forced me to wear for the first century and a half of my undead life. They were afraid of Viktor’s power, and any one of his kin also posed a threat to their order. I lived everyday on edge, knowing that if I made one mistake, they would kill me in an instant.

Eventually, the pendant was removed, but they still had a tight leash on me. The Council would always be wary of Viktor and his kin. That’s why I pay visits to them on occasion. It is not out of fear, nor is it to only follow their rules. I know that Viktor plans to get his revenge and overthrow them one day. The Council’s power had been stolen by force many centuries ago, and Viktor intended to take it back.

But, if those tyrants believe that someone so close to Viktor is on their side, then they are more likely to be unsuspecting of an attack. They were just as confident and arrogant as Viktor in that respect. I had never been on the Council’s side. Heck, my acting was so believable that even Viktor doesn’t believe that I’m on his side. Well, he’s wrong. I’ve always been on his side, and am working towards penetrating all levels of their so-called ‘order.’

I suck up to the Council like a lecherous leech, and say everything they want to hear. Regardless, my loyalty will always be to Viktor. It was offensive that he had such a lack of trust in me, but then again, after all that has happened to him, I couldn’t blame him for feeling this way either.

Besides, I’ve already fed him with so many lies at this point, even if they were for his own good. I had eyes and ears in the Council, all of whom were at the utmost bottom of the food chain and therefore the least suspecting. One of those ears was JJ. Vampires and werewolves almost never got along, but that didn’t mean it was impossible for us to form relationships, no matter how infuriating. The werewolves were all bitter because of their low social class, so any opportunity for them to obtain freedom was accepted without hesitation.

That’s how I got JJ on my side. He worked close with the Council; he was their royal guard mutt. Our deal entailed me looking out for this human slave he had fallen in love with before the takeover. Quite often enough, the slaves kept here were consumed and replaced just as easily. I almost never saw the same slave twice, save for two individuals. I’d think about them later…

I was still angry at JJ for being so reckless. That stupid fledgling was ruining a century-long plan. I could have cared less if JJ had killed the fledgling, but knew that Viktor would have been furious should that have happened. Viktor wanted strength on his side, and the fledgling showed great promise of that. Now I had many other obstacles to work around and more lies to tell.

If you ask me, we could have done very well without that insufferable fledgling’s help. His existence made things much more complicated than necessary. The Council’s attention towards Viktor was now on red alert, as opposed to a cautionary stance like before. They knew that Viktor would eventually make his move, but they hadn’t been anticipating it to be so soon. I had planned to take them over by surprise, slowly and gradually before they even realized that they had lost. Unfortunately, this foil in my plan could have been prevented if I had just been honest with Viktor. But, considering how big Viktor’s mouth was, that solution wouldn’t have worked either.

This visit was critical to my plan. I had to cover up for JJ’s sloppy mistakes, reaffirm my ‘loyalty’ to them, lie about Viktor’s intentions, and look after mere cattle. The Council had always been the enemy, but I had to stroke their fat egos if I wanted to survive. I needed to keep my close position with them. They needed me on their side anyways. My ability to cause mental torture to my victims proved to be very useful to them. Before, they were afraid of me, but now they wouldn’t dare to kill me unless they found out that I was betraying and working against them. I was no more than a useful possession; little did they know that I was using them.

I had always been a meticulous, calculated liar, so that would never happen. Improvisation was something that I would have to do if I wanted to get out this alive with my plan still intact.

As I walked towards the Council’s chambers, I imagined how much pain JJ must have been experiencing. Perhaps he deserved some pain, but not the excruciating amount that he would without a doubt be subjected to. The Council didn’t tolerate failures, even from the higher-ups. At least I can say that I had spared the mutt some pain from earlier. As if I had actually tortured JJ; the asshole wasn’t worth the exertion or effort. Although, I must say that he had put on quite the performance in front of Viktor. At least he was good for something.

The guards standing in front of the throne room moved to the side, nodding their head at me in respect. I reciprocated their gesture, albeit gritting my teeth. I despised how formal this process was. What’s more, I couldn’t stand how everything I said could and _would_ be used against me.

I pushed open the grand oak door, walking into the throne room. Torches lit up every corner of the place. Only two members of the working Council were present. Anya and Georgi were standing on opposite sides of the throne, refusing to look at each other- they had just been through another bad break-up. Their cloaks hid their faces and bodies with the help of the many shadows that bounced across the room. The temperature was cool, the jagged stones of the walls letting several drafts seep through.

The red plush throne was facing the opposite direction, the spiral metal patterns of the arms and legs gleaming in the dim light of the torches. The inclusion of silver on their throne was an intimidation tactic used by the true ‘Council’. It made them appear to be bold and trusting of their fellow members; to me, it represented the epitome of arrogance and hideous pride.

Council was a term used to make the other members seem relevant. There was only one true King who made up all the rules of our society. Every other member was a mere ornament to flaunt this over-sweeping power.

In slow steps, I walked up the red carpet, stopping at the staircase before the throne. I kneeled on the ground, biting the inside of my cheek. The King rarely showed his face. He spent more time looking at his reflection in the blood-filled fountain on the other side of his throne than he did speaking to his subjects. He killed more than he did listen.

I cleared my throat, waiting to be heard. I looked around the room one last time, feeling both relieved and concerned that that bitch Mila was nowhere to be found. Normally, she would be present to taunt me if she knew that I would be paying a visit. The only explanation was that she was still serving her punishment for failing to acquire the new fledgling. Even if she had only been ordered to scope him out, the King expected more from her. He was always testing his members, starving them of their pride, and punishing them until they lived and breathed for his praise.

My lips curled in distaste when I saw the King lean his elbows against the silver arms of the throne; he was the strongest of all vampires and could withstand it for several minutes before it finally began to burn him.

“Yuri, to what do I owe such a visit?” The King’s voice rang smooth and childish. He enjoyed playing games even when he already knew the answer. That bastard.

I swallowed heavily. “I came to report about the situation of the new fledgling.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Of course. You truly are of precious use to me. So loyal, unlike your maker. Tell me, boy. What do you know?”

“He’s powerful. He shows significant promise if he were to be turned into a true vampire,” I answered.

“And what of his location?” the King mused, flicking his pale wrist into sight for a moment.

I pretended to ignore Georgi’s burning glares; he was the most loyal Council member. He liked me the least of them, which meant that he was the one whom I had to be most careful and wary of.

“That, I do not know,” I lied. “But I am aware that he is residing in a sanctuary with several humans.”

Georgi scoffed, but knew better not to say anything. I balled my hand into fists. What I would give to bring that scoundrel before my feet…

“Hmmm. I see. Mila reported that too. We’re still in the midst of interrogating JJ. From the looks of it, he encountered several humans as well. Quite pathetic, really. What could possibly be so difficult about defeating a pen of helpless pigs?”

I inhaled sharply, contemplating my words very carefully. “I heard that those humans found out that werewolves are also weakened by silver.”

“From whom?” the King hummed, his tone already bored.

A small trickle of blood-sweat dripped down my neck. “They were other local vampires in the area. They claimed that the mutt was caught by surprise.”

“Interesting…very interesting,” the King said, clenching one hand so hard that the whites of his bony knuckles showed. “It appears that poor JJ was at a disadvantage. I trained him better than that. Pity, looks like I’ll have to kill him. I’ve been in need of a new trophy to mount; that big head of his will make a great decoration, don’t you think?”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Perhaps,” I relented. “But may I be so rude as to interject?”

“Go on,” the King drawled. I didn’t have to see his face to know that he would be smirking. “You know how much I love to hear those bright, naïve, and young ideas of yours.”

Of course; he would take every damn opportunity to patronize me.

“That mutt may still be of use to you. He’s the best tracker next to Mila. Besides, he knows what those group of humans look like. He’s worth keeping around…at least for the meantime.”

The King chuckled, chiming bells that grated against my ears. “Why, I thought you hated JJ? What’s that saying again? Oh! Yes! Like cats and dogs you two get along!”

“True as that may be, I still consider myself to be practical-minded,” I retorted.

“Are you calling your Highness unpractical?!” Georgi snapped.

“Idiot,” Anya cussed under her breath.

My eyes widened.

“Georgi,” the King sighed. “Yuri has already proved his loyalty to us. Your suspicions are becoming unbearably dull. Either leave or be _silent_. I do not tolerate you twisting the words of others.”

Georgi looked away, his expression both embarrassed and furious.

“Anyways, where were we? Ah, yes! You are a very practical subject indeed, Yuri. I believe you to be right. I’ll keep JJ on a tighter leash, _for now_. Tell me, how has dear Viktor been doing lately? Is aware of how many rules he’s breaking?”

I held in a relieved breath. “Da, by the looks of it, he’s plans to kill that fledgling off. He was foolish to believe he could convince that pig into liking him. Unlike you, he doesn’t treat his equals with respect.”

I held back bile; I couldn’t have been more disgusted by what I had just said.

The King let out a pleased sound of agreement. “Yes, well, I suppose that’s all I need to hear. Thank you for coming here. Your loyalty to the order does not go unnoticed. My offer still stands; if you ever wish to join us, we would welcome you with open arms. You are free to go now, child. As always, you have brought much joy to my heart.”

“Thank you,” I said, feigning gratitude. “I will accept your gracious offer once I finally convince Viktor into complying with your authority. Until then, I will not rest until I see that his mistakes are rectified.”

“Excellent!” the King commended. “I’ll make sure to have my guards reward you greatly for your time spent here.”

“You’re too kind,” I smiled, standing up and curtseying before leaving the court room.

I was received by the same two guards standing in the outside corridor. One of them gestured towards the long line up of human slaves, ready for the drinking. “Pick whomever you choose, your Majesty’s courtesy.”

They were at least fifty slaves lined up, their eyes wide with tears, while the younger ones looked at me with frightened curiosity. They were all filthy, their clothes ragged, and their bones protruding through their skin due to starvation. I grabbed the only two slaves whom I knew and wanted. The guards were ‘replaced’ often enough that most didn’t stick around to see me pick the same two slaves every time. I sent a glare of warning to the remaining human slaves, just in case some were clever enough to pick up on this.

I held onto the two slaves’ collars, putting on a show as I thrust them into a nearby room. The room must have been a vacant torturing space, judging by the iron maiden coffin, the bloody chains, and the blatant smell of death and decay in the air.

I closed the wooden door behind us, latching the lock into place. I waited until I heard the slaves and guards’ footsteps fade away before I turned around to face Isabella and Otabek.

Otabek was a boy of average height with Northern Asian ethnic features. He didn’t speak much, as his face was always pulled into a stern grimace, his brown eyes indifferent to the world around him. He was well-built -for a slave- and had choppy black hair that was styled in an undercut. He had been made into a slave well before the vampires had officially taken over the world. I still remember him as little boy who had the nerve to glare at me when I had walked past him in the corridors, holding nothing but a mere teddy bear in his stubby little hands. He had seen right through me, threatening to inform the Council of my ill intentions. How a boy that young could even pick up on that was beyond me. Ever since then, I’ve agreed to help him escape from here, and in return he would relay every bit of information that he eavesdropped from the Council.

Isabella, on the other hand, was a recent slave to the Council. She was JJ’s lover, and was being used as collateral. Although she infuriated me with her haughtiness, she was admittedly a decent-looking girl with a thin frame, soft black hair that fell to her shoulders, sharp blue eyes, and wry, contemplative lips.

Otabek glared at me, his cheekbones accentuated from the flickering light of the torches lighting up the room.

I scoffed. It was annoying that Otabek was now older than me in physical appearance, not to mention taller. It _almost_ made me feel inferior, _almost_. “I hid your food in the same place as always. Don’t be reckless like last time. Wait until daytime to grab it.”

Otabek rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he grunted, curt and to the point as usual.

Isabella grabbed my forearm, looking up at me with desperate eyes. I hated to admit this, but worry didn’t suit her face at all. “Where’s JJ?” she gasped. “Is he okay? What are they doing to him?! I heard rumours…”

I shrugged off Isabella. “Ugh! What did I tell you about touching me?! You humans feel like walking furnaces.”

Isabella leveled me with a scalding glare, proving my point.

It surprised me a bit about how accepting she was of the new world that had emerged from the very pits of hell. She didn’t care that JJ was a werewolf and wasn’t mad at him when he had revealed his secret to her. They were high school sweethearts; she trusted him and was more understanding than he had ever expected. This backfired when the Council took advantage of this weakness of his and enslaved her…Pity, if only she had been as selfish and ignorant as most humans were; she would have been a lot better off.

“He’s being tortured, but he’ll live,” I answered. “He’s been through worse before. There’s no need to worry.”

“No need to worry?!” Isabella spluttered. “Oh, don’t give me that look, you cocky bastard,” she hissed. “You’ve never truly been on the other end of the Council’s wrath. You have the privilege of never being tortured.”

The _nerve_ of her.

“Oh really?!” I snapped. “Because last time I checked, I was forced to wear a death device for nearly centuries, two! Mental torture is far worse than physical torture!”

Isabel snarled under her breath, knowing that we couldn’t be too loud.

 “Whatever,” she muttered. “Let me see how you react when someone you love is sacrificing their everything for you.”

“I’m a vampire, we don’t develop feelings as easily as you pigs do,” I retorted.

Otabek cleared his throat. “Perhaps, but you’re the first vampire to have ever shown me kindness and compassion.”

“That’s because you threatened to rat me out.”

“You could have just killed me, but you didn’t,” Otabek countered. “Not to mention that you don’t even kill all of your victims. You have morals, Yuri. You shouldn’t be ashamed to show them.”

“Okay, first,” I snarled. “Fuck you. You know that I’m only using you for information. Second, I’m nowhere near as ethical as you think. Yes, I pick out rotten humans, and yes, I torture them to the point where they remember nothing of our encounter, but sometimes I lose control, and I do kill them. I’ll always be a monster regardless of my actions. Besides, you never know who’s listening. Once you fake brutality enough times, you become brutal yourself. If I’m hungry, I don’t discriminate against my prey.”

Isabella sniffed, her eyes puffy and red as she stubbornly stuck up her chin. “Just admit it,” she growled. “You’re a parasite with a heart.”

“I’m about two seconds away from snapping your neck and calling off this agreement,” I snapped.

“Go ahead,” Isabella huffed, crossing her arms. For someone who had a chain around her ankle, she sure was acting confident. “JJ will avenge me.”

“JJ won’t be doing shit if you don’t watch your mouth,” I warned. “I just saved his life, you ungrateful wench.”

Isabella averted her gaze.

“Speaking of which,” Otabek intervened, a slight glimmer in his eyes. “When are we getting out of here?”

“Not yet,” I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. “I would say ‘be patient’ but I’m not a moron. You’ve been in here for long enough. The existence of that fledgling has pushed everything back. I have to do a bit of damage control before I make my next move.”

I looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment on Otabek’s face. It’s been years since he’s seen the sun; a privilege that most pigs barely thought about until their world had ended.

“Have you guys heard anything new yet?” I asked, quick to change the topic.

“Not much,” Otabek muttered, void of emotion. “They’re thinking of sending another Council member after that fledgling. My bet would be Georgi.”

“Perfect,” I deadpanned. “The Council’s watch-bastard is relentless. I’ll have to tell Viktor of this. Crap!”

“Where are you going?” Isabella asked, her voice bitter. “You can’t just leave us here without telling us anything. That’s _not_ the deal.”

“The _deal was_ that I would keep you guys safe. The more you don’t know, the less that can be used against you. Besides,” I smirked, “I’ll do whatever the hell I want. It’s a vampire’s world, after all.”

To tell the truth, I hated what the world had become. Vampires were better off living in the shadows. The world couldn’t live off fear; the human slaves would rebel, and soon all services and technology would wane. It was only a matter of time before that happened. There was also this thing called ‘morals’ that Isabella and Otabek believed me to have. I was only using them; their deaths would be…inconvenient to me, that’s all.

“You guys know what to do,” I drawled, opening the door.

Isabella and Otabek didn’t say anything as I left them to mark up each other’s body with defensive scratches.

They too needed to play their roles accordingly.

…

**Yuuri’s POV:**

Everyone was gathered in the lounge room, while Sara simultaneously bandaged wounds and screamed at the top of her lungs. The rest of our group had just arrived at the wall by the time I had already defeated the werewolf. Because of this, we were all still wearing our gear.

I was just happy to still be alive. More than that my best friend had never died. Once all our wounds were treated, and explanations were given, we celebrated our victory properly. Turns out that Phichit had encountered a ring of vampires on his last scavenging mission and was forced to go into hiding. He met Seung-gil at a mall, and they had spent the last month hiding in an apartment building. They would have come sooner, but Seung-gil was a cautious person who didn’t like to take many risks. I didn’t care all that much for the Korean, but an extra number in our rank was always a good thing.

Phichit and Sara danced across the lounge, giggling as they held each other’s arms.

“Yay! I missed our spontaneous dance parties!” Phichit exclaimed.

“We missed you too!” Sara just about sobbed. “Don’t make us worry like that ever again!”

Phichit grinned. “Yes, Ma’am. I promise~!”

Seung-gil was sitting in the loveseat across from me, silent until he spotted Leo and Guang Hong rummaging through his gym bag. “Excuse me, those belongings are mine,” he snapped.

Leo wasn’t fazed by Seung-gil’s glare, meanwhile Guang Hong hid behind Leo’s back. “Listen, dude. If you’re going to stay here, under our roof, you’re sharing your supplies with us. Either that, or you can pack up your things and leave. I’m only looking for food and weapons. I won’t go into anything else.”

Leo didn’t seem to like Seung-gil either.

Seung-gil snorted, crossing his arms as he looked away, a disgruntled expression on his face. Leo had a point, and he couldn’t argue against it.

My attention diverted when Emil clapped me on the back, causing me to yelp in surprise. “Way to go back there, Yuuri!” he exclaimed. “You really kicked some ass.”

“Si,” Michele crossed his arms, allowing a faint smirk to play across his lips. “Looks like the pussy finally triumphed over the big dogs.”

“Mickey!” Emil scolded.

Michele couldn’t repress his grin for any longer. “What, I was just telling the truth. Eh, at least he’s useful now.”

I chuckled, standing up from my seat. “Glad to be of help, boss. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to go get some rest.”

Sara let go of Phichit, running over to place a hand on the back of my forehead. “Nope! You’re fever free. Are you sure you don’t want something to eat? You look a little pale?”

I was pale because I hadn’t had any blood for 12 hours. I still had half a vial left in my room. Of course, that didn’t stop the sadistic fantasies from running wild in my mind. The sound of my friends’ heartbeats together in this room was becoming overwhelming.

_I looked down at Sara, licking my lips. It would have been so easy to sink my teeth into her neck; to drink the warm blood that was practically begging to gush out of the artery in her neck…_

**THUMP!-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!**

“N-no,” I croaked, my throat dry. “I just need some sleep, that’s all.”

Sara pursed her lips. “All right, rest up then. You deserve it.”

I smiled. “Good night.”

“Good night, Yuuri!” Everyone chorused, save for Seung-gil, who was too busy picking dirt out of his nails with the hand that wasn’t injured.

“Do you want me to tuck you in?” Phichit teased.

“Shut-it,” I scoffed.

I then left the lounge, blinking tears out of my eyes.

Whether I liked it or not, I was losing control.

It was inevitable. I was becoming more and more like a vampire…

And there was nothing that I could do about it.

**To Be Continued…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woops! Sorry! For some silly reason, I thought that I updated this last week. Sorry again for the long wait. Anyways, thank you all for those who have supported this story :) Since the story isn't in great demand, I'll be taking my time to write these chapters. I recently got a tumblr @ "Ellawritesficssometimes" for those of you who want to stop by and chat and/or ask me a question. (Shameless self promo)
> 
> Have a great day/ night!


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